It took until the top of seventh inning to put a run on the scoreboard, nevertheless, the Gustavus softball team got the job done. Trailing 1-0 heading into their final at-bat, the Gusties scored three runs to come away with a 3-1 victory over UW-River falls on Sunday afternoon in Rochester, Minn.
Rookie Sarah Rozell picked up the first win of her career in a Gustavus uniform with a strong complete-game performance. Rozell allowed one run on six hits and is now 1-1 on the year.
The lone extra-base hit by UW-River Falls turned out to be its only run. Amber O’Connell led off the bottom of the third inning with a single-run home run. From that point, Rozell allowed four hits yet kept the Falcons off the board.
After Brittany Brenke led off the inning with a double, and Sarah Rozell reached on an error, Jen Ulmen singled to left field to plate Brenke and tie the game at 1-1. Kaitlin Doyle later scored on an error to put the Gusties up 2-1, and Caitlin Whitney was then bunted home by Mackenzie Dalton to bring the score to a final at 3-1.
Rose Tusa suffered the loss on the hill for the Falcons, going six innings and allowing three runs on three hits.
Gusties Brenke, Jen Ulmen, Kailey Morgan, and Sarah Rozell each had a hit in the game.
The Gustavus softball team will head to Tucson, Ariz. to compete in the Tucson Invitational with a 2-2 record. Gustavus will begin the tourney with a doubleheader against North Central University on March 15 at 8:00 p.m.