MANKATO, Minn. – The Gustavus softball team took a quick trip south to Mankato to face Bethany Lutheran, sweeping the Vikings by scores of 5-4 and 7-3 to conclude the non-conference portion of its schedule on Friday, March 15.
Maizie Anderson (Jr., Rosemount, Minn.) picked up a win and a save in the circle, while the Gusties totaled 19 hits between the two contests.
Gustavus 5, Bethany Lutheran 4
The Gusties scored three runs in the first two innings and fended off a late push from BLC to claim the first win of the day, 5-4.
Kayla Herda (Sr., Farmington, Minn.), batting in the lead-off spot for the Gusties, homered to left field to open the game with a 1-0 lead for the visitors, her first homer of the season and just the second of her decorated career.
Ava Hamsund (So., Winona, Minn.) pitched a one-two-three inning to maintain Herda's early lead. In the top of the second,
Caitlin Olafsson (Jr., Woodbury, Minn.) walked to get on base, followed by a fielding error off an
Olivia Guggenberger (Jr., Rosemount, Minn.) bunt to advance Olafsson to third. Another error helped
Breck Carlson (So., North Mankato, Minn.) reach base and bring Olafsson home, followed by a fly-out RBI for Herda to score Guggenberger for a 3-0 lead.
Bethany Lutheran (10-8 overall) homered once in both the bottom of the second and the third to cut the Gustie lead to one, 3-2. A
Greta Dahlen (Sr., West Des Moines, Iowa) RBI double in the fourth scored Carlson to re-extend the lead to more than one, 4-2.
Dahlen singled in the top of the sixth for the Gusties' final run of game one, which proved to be the winning score, while BLC added two more in the bottom of the sixth off RBI singles.
Anderson struck out two batters in the bottom of the seventh to close the game out for a 5-4 victory.
Herda finished game one 3-for-3 with a pair of runs and RBI, while Dahlen went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Hamsund earned the win, allowing four runs on nine hits, striking out two, while Anderson earned the save, striking out three and allowing just one hit for the save, just the second of her career.
Gustavus 7, Bethany Lutheran 3
Both teams totaled 11 hits each in the second game of the day, but the Vikings left 10 players on base while the Gusties scored in four of six innings, including a three-run third for the win.
A Paige Griztmaker (Fy., Woodbury, Minn.) RBI double scored Herda in the first inning for the early lead once again.
Katelyn Kasper (So., ) singled to score Dahlen, followed by a bases-loaded walk with
Taylor Katzenmeyer (Jr., Minnetonka, Minn.) up to plate scored Gritzmaker for a 3-0 lead after the third inning.
Bethany scratched one across on an RBI single in the fourth, but Gritzmaker doubled once more in the fourth for another Herda run and a 4-1 advantage. Bethany scored its second of the game on a single in the sixth, but a costly error in the sixth scored
Macy McNally (So., Winona, Minn.), followed by a two-RBI double from
Lauren Lambert (Jr., Woodbury, Minn.).
BLC homered once more in the seventh, but couldn't catch up to the Gusties.
Gritzmaker finished 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI, while Herda and Dahlen were 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs apiece. Anderson pitched a complete game victory, allowing three earned runs on 11 hits, striking out six batters.
The Gusties (10-8 overall) open conference play in Moorhead in a couple weeks, traveling to Concordia (10-4 overall) for the first MIAC doubleheader of the season on April 2.
