The Gustavus softball team defeated Martin Luther College 19-3 and 12-2 on Wednesday afternoon in a non-conference doubleheader in New Um, Minnesota. The Gusties improve to 20-2 overall and extend their winning streak to 16 games. Gustavus pounded out 28 hits in the two games, 16 of which were extra base hits (12 doubles, two triples, and two home runs).
In game one, Gustavus exploded for 12 runs in the second inning and never looked back in claiming the 19-3 victory in five innings. The Gusties recorded seven doubles in the second inning scoring barrage, including five in a row. Gustavus sent 18 batters to the plate in the inning. The Gusties scored five more times in the third inning. Andrea Brown went 2-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and two RBI, while Jenna Johnson went 2-for-2, with two doubles, two runs scored and one RBI. Tina Strauss also had a big game with two hits in two at-bats including a double that drove in two runs. Callie Nelsen scattered five hits and allowed two earned runs in five innings of work.
In game two, Gustavus led 5-1 through six innings and then broke the game open with seven runs in the top of the seventh inning. The big seventh inning featured two-run home runs by both Julie Mahre and Brianne Ruedy, triples by Tina Strauss and Tricia Wobschall, and doubles by by Sheila Arnold and Andrea Brown. Mahre led the Gusties in hitting in game two as she went 3-for-4 including a double and a home run, scored three runs, and drove in two runs. Betsie Collins pitched six and two-thirds innings scattering five hits and allowing two earned runs. Rachael Click came in to record the final out for the Gusties on the mound.
Junior second baseman Julie Mahre scored three times in the doubleheader and became only the fourth player in the history of the Gustavus softball program to score 100 runs in a career. She currently ranks fourth all-time with 101 runs scored. Audrey Lenoch (2003-06) holds the career mark with 120. Mahre also moved into second place on the career home run list as she recorded the 14th home run of her career in the seventh inning of the second game. She now needs three home runs to become the career leader in home runs at Gustavus. Audrey Lenoch holds the current mark with 16.
Gustavus will face Saint Mary’s in an important MIAC doubleheader on Thursday afternoon beginning at 4:00 pm.