The Gustavus softball team saw its winning-streak end at six games after splitting with third place Saint Mary’s on a 36-degree Monday afternoon in St. Peter, Minn. The Gusties fell 4-1 in game one, yet took the nightcap by the score of 5-1. Gustavus remains in second place in the conference standings with the split, moving to 23-12-1 overall and 16-3-1 in the MIAC. Saint Mary’s moves to 20-14 overall and 13-7 in the MIAC.
Saint Mary’s got on the scoreboard first in game one when Katy Gannon scored from third on a wild pitch. Gannon singled down the left field line and came around to score on three wild pitches from starter Erin Truebenbach. Truebenbach was wild throughout her showing, suffering the loss after giving up three runs on four hits in four innings.
Saint Mary’s added one run in the third inning and another in the fourth inning to take a 3-0 advantage. Joanna Mangan doubled to the left field gap to bring around Breanna Olson, giving the Cardinals the three-run edge. Mangan led Saint Mary’s at the dish, going 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.
Bethany Flohrs took over for Truebenbach in the fifth inning, allowing one run on two hits in three innings. The Cardinals added an insurance run in the top of the seventh, bringing the score to 4-0. Gustavus’ only run of the ball game came on a two-out, solo blast over the left field fence by Emily Wendorff in the seventh (4-1). The homer is Wendorff’s fourth of the season, tying her for the team lead alongside Kate Rentschler.
Saint Mary’s Kayla Peterson picked up the win in a one-run, six-hit complete-game performance. She improves to 14-6 on the year, while Truebenbach drops to 8-4.
The Gusties came out more focused in game two, scoring a pair of runs in the first and second innings to take a 4-0 lead after two complete. After lining a single to left to start the first inning, Lisa Klass advanced to third on a Jenny Ewert double, then scored on a wild pitch during the next at-bat. Wendorff drove in Ewert following the Klass run to give Gustavus a 2-0 lead.
Kirsten Prunty laced a single up the middle to kick off the second inning, and MacKenzie Dalton followed her up with a two-run home run that struck the top the fence, shot up into the air, and fell down on the opposite side. Dalton finished the game 1-for-3 with a run and two RBI. The bomb put Gustavus up 4-0, as it is Dalton’s second homer of the season.
Gustavus starting pitcher Kate Rentschler put her infield to work throughout the game, recording 10 ground ball outs, while striking out five. Rentschler notched her first complete-game, seven-inning shutout victory of the season, allowing five hits and improving to 15-7 on the year. Mallory Betzold suffered the loss for the Cardinals, letting in five runs on nine hits in five innings.
Gustavus extended its lead to 5-0 in the fifth inning when Dani Cattrysse singled up the middle to plate Lisa Klass. Klass scored two runs in the game, going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate.
The Gustavus softball team will bring the 2011 regular season to a close with a doubleheader against the College of Saint Benedict on Wednesday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. in St. Peter, Minn. As is tradition at Gustavus, the last regular season home game is designated as Senior Day, as seven Gustie seniors will be honored for their commitment to the Gustavus Softball Program over the past four years.