SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus College softball team battled the Concordia College Cobbers in their home opener on Tuesday afternoon. The Gusties swept the conference doubleheader, taking down the Cobbers 12-3 and 10-2 to improve to 9-9 on the year and open MIAC play 2-0.
Game One
Paige Gritzmaker gave Gustavus their first lead of the day in the first inning, hitting a bases-loaded double to right field that scored two.
Concordia cut the Gusties' lead in half with a solo shot over the left field wall in the top of the second inning, but Gustavus regained their two-run lead in the bottom half of the inning to go up 3-1.
In the third inning, the Gusties scored five runs to take an 8-1 lead. With a the bases loaded,
Olivia Guggenberger drove in a run with a single up the middle to go up 4-1. Gustavus then drew back-to-back bases-loaded walks to take a 6-1 lead.
Lauren Lambert hit a sac fly to center to drive in another run for the Gusties to make it 7-1.
Hailey Petzel then drew a walk to load the bases to set up
Katelyn Kasper for the third bases-loaded walk of the inning to put Gustavus up by seven runs.
The Cobbers scored a pair in the top of the sixth to cut the Gusties' lead to 8-3, but Gustavus responded with four more runs in the bottom half of the frame. After
Breck Carlson hit a double, Gritzmake drove in her third run of the game with an RBI single to center to give the Gusties a 9-3 lead. Three batters later,
Sarah Lambert drove in another run with a single to right to make it 10-3.
Caitlin Olafsson walked off the Cobbers with a two-run double to left field as the mercy rule activated due to the Gusties leading by eight or more runs past the end of the fifth inning.
Maizie Anderson earned the win for Gustavus, throwing 4.1 innings while allowing just one run and striking out three.
Game Two
Concordia jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the second game of the doubleheader, taking their first lead of the day in the third inning. The Gusties responded with four runs in the bottom of the frame. Lambert drove in a run with an RBI single to right field to tie the game up at 1-1. Later in the inning, Gritzmaker launched a three-run bomb off the top of the wall in left field, giving Gustavus a 4-1 lead with the home run.
With runners on second and first with one out in the fifth, Gritzmaker drove in her seventh run of the day with an RBI single up the middle to put the Gusties up 5-2 and kickstart a five-run inning. Carlson then drove in two more runs for Gustavus with a double before later scoring on a wild pitch to put Gustavus up 8-2.
Taylor Katzenmeyer added one more with an RBI single down the right field line to give the Gusties a seven-run lead up 9-2.
In the sixth, Olafsson scored the walk-off run as she scored from second on an error by the Cobber shortstop, securing a 10-2 win for Gustavus.
Ava Hamsund earned the win in the circle, striking out six while allowing just two runs in five innings of work for the Gusties.
Up Next
Gustavus will host another MIAC doubleheader on Wednesday, April 7 starting at 3:30 p.m. against the visiting Carleton College Knights.
