SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Golden Gustie softball team completed a sweep over Augsburg University on Saturday in its first conference series of the season. The Gusties took game one by a score of 4-2 and held off a late Auggie rally in game two to win 4-3, improving to 7-3 on the season and 2-0 in the MIAC.
Gustavus 4 Augsburg 2 | Box Score
Ashley Neuenfeldt (Sr., Bloomington) went all seven innings in game one to earn the 4-2 win. She struck out three batters while giving up nine hits and zero earned runs. Neuenfeldt also picked up an RBI while going 1-3 at the plate. First-year Madelyn Mueller (Fy., North Mankato) led the Gustie offense in the first game, going 2-4 with two RBIs.
The Gusties jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning when Neuenfeldt drove in Mueller. They added two more runs in the second to lead 3-0 after RBIs from Mueller and first-year Isabel Reuvers (Fy., Medford). Augsburg answered back in the top of the third with two unearned runs to cut the Gustie lead to 3-2.
Mueller picked up her second RBI in the top of the fourth inning when she drove in Kaylyn Leonard (Jr., Plymouth) to put Gustavus up 4-2. Neuenfeldt only allowed one hit the remainder of the game as the Gusties picked up the 4-2 victory.
Gustavus 4 Augsburg 3 | Box Score
Game two saw less offense in the early portion of the second game of the double-header, as both teams went into the fifth inning scoreless. Then in the bottom half of the fifth, junior Mackenzie Skuza (Jr., Princeton) launched her first home run of the season to put Gustavus up 1-0.
The Gusties broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring three runs to increase their lead to four. Gustavus had five straight hits in the inning, highlighted by a two RBI single by Allie Skuza (So., Princeton). The final run of the inning was scored on a throwing error by the Auggies, as they tried to pick off a runner at third.
Piper Otto (Fy., Brooklyn Park) pitched a scoreless six innings before being replaced by Payton Belt (Fy., Indianola, Iowa) in the seventh. The Auggies loaded the bases and score two runs off a Gustavus error to cut the Gustie lead in half at 4-2. Otto returned to the circle with the bases loaded and walk in a run before getting the final hitter to pop out to short and end the game.
“It was nice to start off MIAC play with a couple wins,” said Head Coach Coley Ries. “We made some mistakes and were able to battle out of them. Offensively, we were able to string some hits together when we needed them.”
The Gusties will next be in action when they travel to Bethel on April 10th for a double header beginning at 1 p.m.
“I think there were a lot of learning moments in the games today,” added Ries. “Being a young team and getting that first feel of conference play, I thought we handled it really well, but definitely things to continue to work on and learn from.”
Good Conference start! Go Gusties!