St. Peter, Minn. – The Gustavus softball team improved to 10-0 in the MIAC and 18-6 overall with a pair of wins over Macalester on Wednesday afternoon at the Gustie Softball Field. Gustavus defeated the Scots 9-1 in game and 9-0 in game two. Macalester falls to 14-2 overall and 3-7 in the MIAC with the losses.
Game One
Gustavus wasted no time putting up runs in the first inning of game one, scoring two runs on two hits to take a 2-0 lead. Starting pitcher Kate Rentschler delivered with a two-out base hit to right field to score both Kailey Morgan and Brittany Brenke.
After Macalester scored in the top of the second inning to cut the lead to 2-1, Gustavus responded with runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings to go up 4-1.
The Gusties broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth, scoring five runs on six hits. After Jen Ulmen led off the inning with a triple to the right-center field gap, Rentschler drove her in with a single to third base. Caitlin Whitney singled to score Rentschler and give Gustavus a 6-1 lead, and Carly Klass later drove in MacKenzie Dalton with a ground ball to third base to extend the advantage to 7-1. Lisa Klass singled to right field, scoring Whitney and Paige Breneman, to bring the score to a final at 9-1.
Caitlin Whitney, Rentschler, and Dalton all recorded a multiple-hit game. Whitney, who took the place of Shelby Nosan who had to come out of the game after a collision at home plate in the second inning, went 2-for-2 with two runs a RBI. Rentschler went 2-for-2 with three RBI, while Dalton finished 2-for-3 with one run.
Rentschler picked up her 10th win of the season on the hill, allowing one run on four hits in five innings.
Game Two
The Gusties were on the board first with a two runs in the bottom of the first inning of game two. Lisa Klass led off the game with a triple to right-center and Brittany Brenke then knocked her in with a ground ball to second. Jen Ulmen, who reached base on a walk, later scored on a passed ball.
Gustavus extended its lead to 8-0 with six runs in the bottom of the second. Within the second inning, the Black and Gold took a 4-0 lead on a two-run double by Carly Klass. Jen Ulmen later ripped a double to right-center with the bases loaded, bringing home Kailey Morgan, Lisa Klass and Carly Klass to extend the Gustie lead to 7-0. Gustavus’ final run of the inning came on a MacKenzie Dalton single to left field, plating Ulmen and giving them an 8-0 edge.
Sarah Rozell picked up her second-straight shutout victory on the rubber, going all five innings and allowing four hits while striking out three batters. Rozell is now 9-2 on the year.
Dalton led the Gusties with a 2-for-2, one-run, one-RBI performance at the plate. By going 1-for-2 with two runs and a triple, Lisa Klass extended her hitting-streak to 12 games, a career-best for the senior.
The Gustavus softball team will be back on the dirt of the Gustie Softball Field Saturday, April 14 when it takes on St. Thomas in a showdown between the two top teams in the MIAC.