St. Paul – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced the All-Tournament Team for the 2013 MIAC Softball Playoffs on Monday, May 6. Among the list of First and Second Team recipients was Gustavus senior Kate Rentschler (Lakefield, Minn.) who led the Gustie offense throughout the weekend.
With the tournament format amended to include all 12 teams, the All-Tournament Team was also expanded to include the usual 12-player First Team (including ties), and an eight-player Second Team. The All-Tournament Team was also expanded to include an eight-player Second Team as well, with one selection from each team that did not advance beyond Friday’s round-robin pool play.
The Gustavus softball team went a combined 3-2 in the MIAC Playoffs which were held over a span of three days over the weekend. The Gusties defeated Saint Mary’s 8-4 and Carleton 7-6 on Friday to win Pool D and advance to the four team double elimination tournament slated for Saturday and Sunday. Gustavus fell 8-0 to St. Thomas then bounced back with an 11-2 win over St. Olaf on Saturday. Coach Jeff Annis’s club was eliminated from the post-season by Bethel on Sunday morning by the score of 5-2.
Hitting .318 entering pool play on Friday, Kate Rentschler was certainly one of the key reasons Gustavus earned the right to play on Saturday. Rentschler went 3-for-3 with a walk, two doubles and two runs against Carleton in a come-from-behind one-run victory. She followed her breakout game against the Knights by going 3-for-4 with a run batted in against Saint Mary’s.
In the four-team bracket on Saturday, Rentschler recorded her third multiple-hit game of the tournament by going 2-for-3 with a walk, three RBI, and a run against St. Olaf. The senior finished the weekend 9-for-16 with three walks, two doubles, four RBI and three runs. She raised her averaged to .366 to conclude her Gustavus career.
The All-Tournament First Team was voted on by the four coaches whose teams advanced to Saturday’s double-elimination bracket. The All-Tournament Second Team consisted of one selection from each team that participated in Friday’s pool play, but did not advance.