The Gustavus softball team saw its winning-streak end and a season-best 10 games with Saturday's game two loss to Bethel.
St. Peter, Minn. – In a matchup between two of the top three teams in the MIAC, the Gustavus and Bethel softball teams went tit for tat in Saturday afternoon’s doubleheader at the Gustie Softball Field. Gustavus earned a 7-4 victory in game, yet Bethel bounced back with a 7-2 win in game two. The Gusties move to 23-13 overall and 13-5 in the MIAC, while Bethel goes to 23-13 overall and 14-4 in the MIAC.
The Gustavus softball team will now enjoy a small break before its next outing on Wednesday, April 22 against Augsburg College. The doubleheader with the Auggies will be played in Minneapolis beginning at 3:30 p.m.
Game One Recap
The Gusties struck first in the bottom of the first. Shelby Nosan (Sr., Baudette, Minn.) drew a walk and was then moved over to third on a sacrifice bunt by Kaitlin Bicek (Jr., Northfield, Minn.). Carly Klass (Sr., Richfield, Minn.) scored Nosan on a sacrifice bunt of her own to give Gustavus a 1-0 lead.
In the second inning, Jena Willis (So., Glacier, Mont.) lined a double to the right-center field gap, and Hannah Heacox (So., Stillwater, Minn.) followed with a single through the left side. Rachel Malo (So., Owatonna, Minn.) gave Gustavus a 2-0 lead with a one-run double to right center that brought in Willis. With Heacox on third base and Malo on second base, Malo took off stealing second while the batter, Nosan, dropped down a bunt. The bunt dribbled past the Bethel pitcher and first baseman, allowing Heacox and Malo to score and give Gustavus a 4-0 advantage.
The Royals responded to Gustavus’s four unanswered runs with two of their own in the third to cut the lead in half (4-2). Kelsey Anderson did the damage herself with a two-run home run over the left field fence.
The Gusties bounced back from the home run with a big fifth inning. Klass kicked the frame off with a solo home run to give Gustavus a 5-2 lead. Kailey Morgan (Sr., Mound, Minn.) lined a single to left and was eventually brought around to score on a double down the left field line by Nathalee Boissiere (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) to push the gap to 6-2.
Hannah Heacox picked up the game one victory to improve to 10-3 on the year.
Gustavus’s final run of the game brought the score to 7-2 in the bottom of the sixth. Nosan doubled to left field, and Bicek brought her in with a single up the middle.
Trailing 7-2 heading into the top of the seventh, Bethel put together a two-out rally. With the bases loaded, Abbie Bircher delivered a two-run single up the middle to cut the lead to 7-4. With the game-tying run at the plate and two runners on base, Heacox buckled down and struck out Micayla Moore to end the game.
Heacox improves to 10-3 with the complete-game victory. She allowed four runs (two earned) on eight hits to go along with 10 strikeouts. Heacox has picked up the complete-game win in her last four starts.
The Gusties were led at the plate by Klass, Nosan, and Malo. Klass went 2-for-2 with a home run, run, and two RBI, Nosan went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs, and two RBI, and Malo went 2-for-3 with a double, run, and a RBI.
Game Two Recap
Bethel began game two with three unanswered runs, scoring in the first, third, and fourth innings.
Gustavus broke through in the bottom of the fourth with a run to cut the lead to 3-1. Kailey Morgan led off the inning with a single through the left side and eventually came around to score on an infield error.
After Bethel scored three runs on two hits in the top of the fifth, Gustavus answered with a run in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to 6-2. Jessica Williams (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) doubled to the left-center field gap, and Nosan brought her in with a single up the middle.
The Royals added another run in the sixth to bring the score to a final at 7-2.
Sarah Rozell (Sr., Lakeville, Minn.) suffered her first loss in eight outings to drop to 7-6 on the year. She allowed seven runs (five earned) on five hits in six innings. Jena Willis took over in the seventh and got out of the inning unscathed after allowing two hits.
Karli Persson picked up the complete-game win after allowing two runs (one earned) on nine hits.
Williams and Morgan led the Gusties with two hits each. Williams went 2-for-3 with a double and a run, and Morgan went 2-for-3 with a double and a run.