WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Gustavus softball team continued its spring trip in Florida March 4, splitting its Tuesday slate of games with an eight-inning 9-4 loss to Alvernia (Pa.) followed by a 4-2 victory over Illinois College later that afternoon.
Gustavus 4, Alvernia 9 (8 inn.)
Maizie Anderson (Jr., Rosemount, Minn.) pitched nearly four scoreless and hitless innings until Alvernia (2-4 overall) doubled to left center midway through the fifth inning to score its first run of the day.
The Gusties, who scored their first run the inning before on a
Lauren Lambert (Jr., Woodbury, Minn.) RBI single, responded with two more in the bottom of the fifth for a 3-1 lead on doubles from both
Greta Dahlen (Sr., West Des Moines, Iowa) and
Paige Gritzmaker (Fy., Woodbury, Minn.).
Alvernia took its first lead of the game in the sixth inning, scoring on an error and a two-RBI single to center. A
Kayla Herda (Sr., Farmington, Minn.) single to center evened the score, 4-4, which held until a five-run eighth inning for the Golden Wolves. Alvernia scored on a pair of hits and a pair of errors for the 9-4 final.
Herda went 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI, while Gritzmaker was 2-for-4, and Dahlen, Lambert, and
Hailey Petzel (Fy., Mankato, Minn.) chipped in the other Gustie hits.
Anderson allowed one earned run off one hit in 4.2 innings of work, striking out four batters.
Megan Sherwood (So., Greenfield, Minn.) earned the loss, allowing eight runs, three of which were earned, off four hits.
Gustavus 4, Illinois College 2
The Gusties collected their win of the day over Illinois College (2-3 overall) Tuesday afternoon, using a three-run fourth inning to power past the Lady Blues.
A
Caitlin Olafsson (Jr., Woodbury, Minn.) triple scored the first run of game two for the Gusties, bringing home Herda who singled earlier in the third inning. The Gusties scored three in the top of the fourth on three hits and an error, including singles from
Macy McNally (So., Winona, Minn.), Dahlen, and
Carly Olson (So., Luverne, Minn.).
Illinois College cut the lead in half in the fifth inning off a triple and an error, but managed just one hit for the rest of the game to seal the 4-2 Gustie victory.
Herda accounted for three of the Gusties' eight hits, with Dahlen, Olafsson, Kiah Kelget (Fy., New Ulm, Minn.), and McNally chipping in the others.
Ava Hamsund (So., Winona, Minn.) collected the win in the circle, allowing two runs, and just one earned, off seven hits. Hamsund struck out four batters in the complete game victory.
The Gusties (6-6 overall) will enjoy a day off in Florida before facing Johnson & Wales (R.I.) and Clark University (Mass.) Thursday morning in Winter Haven.
