Gustavus softball managed to sweep St. Catherine College by the scores of 5-0 and 11-3 in St. Peter on Saturday afternoon. Audrey Lenoch (Sr., Pine Island, Minn.) contributed four hits, including a triple and a double, and scored three runs along with four RBI. The Gusties’ record improves to 20-6 overall and 14-2 in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while St. Kate’s fall to 19-14 overall and 10-6 in the MIAC.
In the first game, with runners on second and third, Lenoch hit a single that scored Julie Mahre (So., White Bear Lake, Minn.) to give Gustavus a 1-0 lead. Rachael Click (Fr., Rochester, Minn.) tripled in the third inning with one out and the next batter, Lenoch, was able to hit a triple of her own to score the second run. Two batters later with two outs, Emily Klein (Fr., Red Wing, Minn.) drove in Lenoch for a 3-0 lead. Mahre stopped a Wildcat threat when, with runners on first and second, she made a great diving stop and tagged out the runner going to second and ended the inning. The Gusties knocked in two runs in the bottom half of the fourth inning for what would be the final score of 5-0. Joyce DeWitz (Jr., Good Thunder, Minn.) got the win for Gustavus by pitching five scoreless innings and struck out four batters. Sarah Manke (Fr., Roseville, Minn.) pitched the final two innings without giving up a run.
Gustavus scored five runs in the first inning of the first game and would never look back. Mahre reached first on a single and advanced to second and third bases before reaching home on a wild pitch. Abby Bernstein (Jr., St. Paul, Minn.) drove in Click with one out and later Lenoch, who reached first on a walk, scored on another wild pitch. Lenoch notched her fourth RBI of the day in the second inning when she hit a one out double to score Mary Furlong (Sr., Mound, Minn.) and Click. Klein would later knock Lenoch home with a hard hit ball up the middle for an 8-0 lead. Kristi Klingler (Fr., New Ulm, Minn.) scored two runs in the fifth inning with a one out double that gave the Gusties a 10-3 lead. A couple batters later, Allison Haase (So., Blue Earth, Minn.) drove home a run with a double into left, which ended the game with a score of 11-3. DeWitz pitched the first two innings without giving up a run. She is credited with the win and improves her record to 14-3. Bree Lindenberg (Fr., Faribault, Minn.) pitched three innings and allowed three runs, while striking out five.
Gustavus will play Carleton College Sunday afternoon in St. Peter with the start times scheduled for 1:00pm and 2:30pm.