MANKATO, Minn. – The Gustavus softball team concluded the Bethany Lutheran Kwik Trip Invitational with a pair of wins over Luther (Iowa) and UM-Morris on Sunday, Feb. 23.
Playing in their final games under the dome for the season, the Gusties (5-3 overall) defeated Luther 5-2 before a 5-1 win over Morris later in the afternoon.
Gustavus 5, Luther 2
The Gusties jumped out to a 2-0 lead against the Norse in the first inning off a pair of hits and a pair of Luther errors. Senior
Kayla Herda (Farmington, Minn.) started the inning with a lead-off walk, followed by her sixth steal of the season. After a team-leading fourth walk for
Lauren Lambert (Jr., Woodbury, Minn.), a
Caitlin Olafsson (Jr., Woodbury, Minn.) single to third loaded the bases for
Carly Olson (So., Luverne, Minn.). Olson picked up an RBI walk to score Herda, followed by a sacrifice fly off the bat of
Greta Dahlen (Sr., West Des Moines, Iowa) to score
Taylor Katzenmeyer (Jr., Minnetonka, Minn.), in to run for Lambert.
A two-run shot from
Macy McNally (So., Winona, Minn.) highlighted a three-run third inning, as McNally drove home
Breck Carlson (So., North Mankato, Minn.), who reached via an error by the Norse pitcher that also scored Dahlen. The homer was the first of McNally's career.
Luther (1-3 overall) scored its only two runs in the top of the fifth, one off a solo home run to left field and the other on a wild pitch to close out the game's scoring.
The Gusties totaled five hits in their first game of the day, two of which came off the bat of Herda, while Olafsson, Paige Griztmaker (Fy., Woodbury, Minn.), and McNally accounted for the others.
Maizie Anderson (Jr., Rosemount, Minn.) earned the win in the circle, allowing two earned runs off three hits in five innings of work, while
Hailey Petzel (Fy., Mankato, Minn.) collected her first career save to help the Gusties to victory.
Gustavus 5, UM-Morris 1
The Gusties scored a run in each of their final four innings at bat, including two in the fourth, to finish the weekend with a Sunday sweep and their second five-run game of the afternoon.
After three innings with a combined two hits between the Gusties and the Cougars, Herda broke the scoring silence, collecting a groundout RBI which scored Katzenmeyer, who reached on a Morris infield error.
Olafsson led the fourth inning off with a double to center field, but it was once again errors that drove the Gustavus runs home, as Dahlen walked to get on base, and eventually scored on a throwing error alongside Olafsson for a 3-0 advantage over the Cougars.
Lambert picked up the first RBI of the day in the fifth inning, scoring McNally on a single to right field. An RBI single from
Katelyn Kasper (Jr., Corcoran, Minn.) to left field drove home the final Gustie run of the game, as Gritzmaker collected her second of the weekend after singling to center to get on base.
Morris (0-4 overall) broke the shutout in the top of the seventh, scoring on an RBI groundout to second base, but it was far too little and far too late to overcome the deficit, as
Megan Sherwood (So., Greenfield, Minn.) closed the game out with a swinging strikeout to seal the victory.
Lambert, Olafsson, Gritzmaker, and Kasper accounted for the four Gustie hits against the Cougars, but the most impressive performance of the day came from
Ava Hamsund (So., Winona, Minn.), who collected the victory in the circle in six innings of work. Hamsund allowed just four hits and shutout the Cougars with just one walk on 22 batters faced.
The Gusties will enjoy a week off before taking their annual spring break trip to Florida for eight non-conference games from Monday, March 3 to Friday, March 7.
