SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus College softball team battled the Carleton College Knights at home on Wednesday in a conference doubleheader. The Gusties completed their second MIAC doubleheader sweep in as many days with 8-3 and 6-0 wins over the Knights to improve to 11-9 overall and remain undefeated in the conference at 4-0.
Game One
Carleton took the first lead of the game in the top of the first inning, scoring on a bases-loaded walk.
Gustavus responded in the bottom half of the opening frame with three runs to take the lead.
Paige Gritzmaker drove in the first run to tie the game at 1-1 with an RBI double to center.
Breck Carlson followed with a sac fly to center, scoring
Lauren Lambert from third. In the next at bat,
Madison Westover singled to second to drive in Gritzmaker to put the Gusties up 3-1.
With runners on second and third in the third inning,
Olivia Guggenberger drove in a pair with a double to right to increase Gustavus' lead to 5-1.
The Knights got one back in the top of the fourth, but the Gusties responded with two more in the bottom half of the inning with a sac fly by Gritzmaker and an RBI single to third by Carlson to put Gustavus up 7-2.
Once more Carleton responded with another run, scoring in the top of the fifth. Again, though, the Gusties answered as Guggenberger scored on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the fifth.
Leading 8-3,
Maizie Anderson went on to earn the complete game win. The senior struck out seven through as many innings while allowing just three runs.
Game Two
Gritzmaker kicked off game two of the doubleheader by driving in
Caitlin Olafsson from third to put Gustavus up 1-0 in the first inning.
That one-run lead held until the fourth inning when the Gusties scored three runs. In consecutive at-bats,
Megan Sherwood singled through the left side to drive in Guggenberger, then
Macy Lembke singled to left field to drive in Sherwood, and finally Olafsson doubled to left center to drive in Lembke to put Gustavus up 4-0.
The Gusties scored two more insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth with back-to-back sac flys. Gritzmaker hit another sac fly for her second RBI of the game, fourth RBI of the day, and 11
th RBI in the past two days as
Kiah Helget scored. Westover then followed suit by flying out to center but still driving in
Hailey Petzel from third to put Gustavus up 6-0.
Ava Hamsund went on to finish the complete-game shutout of the Knights, striking out seven while allowing just three hits and one walk in seven innings of work in the win.
Up Next
Gustavus will compete on the road against the Saint Mary's University Cardinals on Saturday, April 10 in a conference doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. in Winona.
