ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Gustavus softball team suffered a 4-2 loss to St. Catherine in the first round of the MIAC Playoffs on Friday evening. The game went down to the wire as Nathalee Boissiere (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) came inches away from tying the game in the bottom the seventh as she drove a fly ball to deep center field, but Megan Lindenfelser robbed Boissiere of a two-run homer to end the game. The Gusties now face Hamline at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow in an elimination game. The Pipers lost to the host Tommies 3-2 in 10 innings.
After three scoreless innings, the Wildcats erupted for four runs in the fourth on five hits and one error. All but one hit by St. Kate’s occurred in the fourth. The Gusties broke the shutout in the bottom half with a run. Kaitlyn Bicek (Sr., Northfield, Minn.) singled and later scored on a grounder off the bat of Hannah Heacox (Jr., Stillwater, Minn.).
Gustavus added another run in the fifth as Addy Nelsen (Sr., Willmar, Minn.) walk and later crossed home on a fielder’s choice. The rally came up short, though, as the Gusties stranded seven runners on base in the final four frames, included the bases loaded in the sixth.
Heacox suffered the loss after pitching the entire game. She allowed four runs on six hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Bicek led the Gusties at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.