The Gustavus Adolphus College softball team saw its dream season come to an end after a 4-2 loss to Coe College on Monday afternoon in Montclair, New Jersey. The Kohawks scored a pair of runs in the late innings to break a 2-2 tie to grab a 4-2 lead. However, the Gusties had runners in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh, but were unable to record key hits to move them around. Gustavus, which received the third place trophy, finished the season with the program’s first 40-win campaign at 42-9.
Coe got out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning when the Kohawks recorded three hits, including a two-out RBI double from Sonja Schwenker. The Gusties answered back with a run in their part of the frame when Emily Wendorff drove in Jenny Ewert from second base to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Senior Emily Klein single-handedly tied the game for Gustavus in the third inning after ripping a single up the middle of the infield. Klein stole second and third base before advancing home after a throwing error by the Coe catcher, who was trying to throw Klein out at third.
The teams remained tied at 2-2 until the top of the fifth as Katherine King delivered a RBI-single through the left side of the infield to put the Kohawks ahead 3-2. Coe made it a two-run game during its’ next at-bat when Mackenzie Lang hit a double that drove in Schwenker, who started the inning with a single, for a 4-2 advantage.
Gustavus mounted a final rally in the bottom of the seventh when Andrea Brown hit a single to center field followed by a four-pitch walk to Jenna Johnson to give the Gusties base runners on first and second with one out. After a strikeout, Kelly Myers drew the second walk of the inning to keep Gustavus alive with the bases loaded. Emily Klein blooped a pop fly into shallow right field, but the Coe second baseman was there to make the catch and end the game.
Junior Betsie Collins suffered the loss as she gave up nine hits and allowed three runs in five innings. Sophomore Erin Truebenbach worked two innings, giving up three hits and one run.
Four Gusties were named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team based on their play during the weekend. Honorees included senior shortstop Rachael Click (Rochester, Minn.), junior third baseman Andrea Brown (Willmar, Minn.), sophomore first baseman Emily Wendorff (Lakeville, Minn.), and sophomore leftfielder Kirsten Prunty (New Ulm, Minn.).