The Gustavus softball team extended its winning streak to 12 games by sweeping St.Olaf by the scores of 8-0 and 12-2 Monday afternoon in St Peter. The Gusties improved to 16-2 overall and 8-0 in the MIAC. Rachael Click led Gustavus offensively as she went 4-for-6 with a home run and eight RBI in the two games. Betsie Collins threw a three-hit shutout in game one, while Callie Nelsen scattered four hits and picked up the win in game two.
In the first game, first year pitcher Betsie Collins led the way as she allowed only three hits and struck out ten in six innings of work. At the plate, Andrea Brown went 3-for-3, while Julie Mahre, Rachael Click, and Allison Haase each had two hits for the Gusties. Mahre gave the Gusties a 1-0 lead when she hit a solo homerun to lead off the third inning. Then in the fourth inning Gustavus scored four more runs on hits by Emily Klein, Allison Haase, Tina Strauss, and Rachael Click. Click picked up the big hit with a bases-loaded single that drove in Mahre and Haase to make the score 5-0. In the sixth inning the Gusties scored three times to push the score to 8-0 and end the game on the 8-run mercy rule. Click once again came up with the big hit as she drove in the final two runs with a double. Gustavus pounded out 13 hits in the game, and did not commit an error in the field.
In the second game, St. Olaf took the early lead by scoring twice in the top half of the first inning. The Gusties rallied to score three times in the bottom of the first and never looked back on their way to a a convincing 12-2 win in five innings. Emily Klein sparked the three run first inning for Gustavus with a two-run shot over the fence in left field. In the second inning, Gustavus broke the game open with five runs on four hits including singles by Abby Bernstein and Jenna Johnson that drove in two runs each. In the third inning, the Gusties continued their scoring spree pushing four more runs across the plate to make the score 12-2. The big hit for Gustavus was a towering opposite field three-run home run by Rachael Click. Callie Nelsen, who allowed two runs on three hits in the first inning, settled down and allowed only one hit the rest of the way, while striking out three.
Gustavus hit three home runs in the doubleheader pushing its season total to 22 in 18 games this season which breaks the previous school record for home runs in a season which was 19 (in 40 games last year). Rachael Click leads the Gusties with seven home runs, while Julie Mahre has hit six out of the park.
Mahre recorded two hits in game one, and one hit in game two to extend her current hitting streak to a career best nine games. The Gusties also extended their winning streak to 12 games which dates back to a 10-1 loss to Point Loma Nazarene at the Sun West Classic in Los Angeles on March 10.
Gustavus will host Hamline tomorrow afternoon (April 17) at 4 pm.