St. Paul – The Gustavus Adolphus softball team extended its winning-streak to seven games with a pair of extra inning wins over the University of St. Thomas on Tuesday afternoon at the UST South Field. The Gusties used a pair of eighth inning runs to come away with a 2-0 win in game one, and then scored three runs in the top of the 10th to complete the sweep with a 5-3 victory in game two.
With what was their third consecutive MIAC sweep, the Gusties jumped into sole possession of the third place in the conference standings at 20-12 overall and 10-4 in the MIAC. St. Thomas sees its four-game winning-streak come to an end and drops to fourth place in the MIAC at 25-7 overall and 9-5 in the MIAC.
The Gusties will look to keep the momentum rolling on Thursday, April 16 when they travel back to St. Paul to take on Macalester in a doubleheader beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Game One Recap
After seven scoreless innings, the Gusties finally broke the ice in the top of the eighth with two runs on three hits. With runners on first and third with one out, Paige Breneman (Sr., Sherburn., Minn.) delivered what turned out to be the game-winning run with a single that scored Carly Klass (Sr., Richfield, Minn.). One batter later, Jena Willis (So., Glacier, Mont.) added an insurance run with a double to bring in Breanne Rentschler (Sr., Lakefield, Minn.).
Shelby Nosan (Sr., Baudette, Minn.), Klass, and Nathalee Boissiere (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) led Gustavus’s 10-hit effort. Nosan went 3-for-4 with a double, Klass went 2-for-4 with a run, and Boissiere went 2-for-4.
Gustavus starter Hannah Heacox (So., Stillwater, Minn.) was in top form with her best pitching performance of the season. Heacox went all eight innings and allowed just four hits in what was her second straight complete game shutout of the season. She finished with six strikeouts and four walks.
Kendra Bowe took the loss for St. Thomas after going six and two-thirds innings and giving up two runs (one earned) on nine hits.
Game Two Recap
As in game one, runs came late. Gustavus was able to strike first with two runs in the top of the sixth. Kaitlin Bicek (Jr., Northfield, Minn.) drove in Carly Klass with a double to put Gustavus up 1-0, and Paige Breneman plated Bicek on an infield single to extend the lead to 2-0.
Facing a sweep in its last at-bat, St. Thomas came charging back with the game-tying runs in the bottom of the seventh. Danielle Tschann came through with a two-run single to score Annie Boyer and Brooke Pantila.
Following two complete frames of extra innings, the game went to the international tiebreaker rule and the 10th inning began with Shelby Nosan on second base. Kailey Morgan (Sr., Mound, Minn.) drove in Nosan with a double to put Gustavus up 5-3. Jena Willis came through with a two-out, one-run single that scored Morgan, and Breneman gave Gustavus a 5-2 lead a batter later with a one-run single that brought in Rachel Strandmark (Fy., New Ulm, Minn.).
Breneman led the Gusties at the dish by going 3-for-3 with a double, two walks, two RBI, and three stolen bases. As a team, the Gusties outhit the Tommies 10-to-7.
St. Thomas scrapped together just one run in the bottom of the tenth to bring the score to a final at 5-3.
Sarah Rozell (Sr., Lakeville Minn.) started and pitched six quality innings. She went six innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits. Heacox took over in the seventh and picked up the win (8-3) after allowing one run (zero earned) over the remaining four innings of the game.
Taking the loss for St. Thomas was Kendra Bowe who allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits in two and one-third innings.