ROCHESTER, Minn. – The St. Catherine University softball team (1-1) opened the 2019 season defeating Loras College (0-1) in five innings and falling to the University of Wisconsin-Stout (2-0) in seven innings on Saturday at the Luther Dome Games in Rochester, Minnesota.
GAME 1 St. Catherine 11, Loras 2 (5 innings)
St. Kate's opened the 2019 season topping non-conference opponent the Loras College Duhawks 11-2 in five innings. The Wildcats tallied 13 hits against the Duhawks led by senior
Anna Hinderaker who went 2-3 and had two doubles and an RBI in the first game of the double-header. First-year
Alex Ehde went 2-4 in her debut game at shortstop adding a double and RBI for the Wildcats.
Sophomore
Kathryn Proper picked up the win for St. Catherine allowing zero earned runs with three innings in the circle. Proper threw five strikeouts facing eleven batters.
Mikayla Grant got things rolling for the Wildcats in the top of the 3rd as the sophomore second-base player earned the first run of the season after stealing second as Hinderaker drove her in with a double to left field.
Ehde's first collegiate at bat resulted in a double that brought in Hinderaker and scoring on an error by the Duhawks catcher.
St. Kate's scored six runs on seven hits in the third with junior Autumn Mortenson bringing in sophomore Alyssa Wicks and junior Amber Montero with a single to right field.
The Wildcats carried the momentum into the 4
th with going five for five with first-year
Lindsay Burr pinch hitting for senior
Trish Sherman bringing in two unearned runs off a single to center field bringing the score to 10-0. Montero had the last run for St. Kate's when the Duhawks pitcher hit Mortenson advancing Wicks and Burr.
Loras' first run came late in the 5
th inning with sophomore
Rae Beaner pitching. The Duhawks advanced runners after Beaner hit the player at bat and scoring on a passed ball. Loras scored on the next play with bases loaded after hitting a ground ball to third base as senior
Jenna George got the out.
GAME 2 St. Catherine 4, UW-Stout 6
St. Catherine's offensive strength carried over from the first game into game two against the Blue Devils as Ehde hit another double to center field in her first at bat in the game. Ehde scored the first run for the Wildcats in the bottom of the first inning on a sac fly from first-year
Angela Huepfel to center field and the 1-0 lead. .
After an uneventful 2
nd inning, the Wildcats went up 3-0 over the Blue Devils when Montero drove in Sherman. Montero scored the third run after Wicks, Burr, and Grant all walked advancing the center fielder in.
First-year
Annabelle Schutte had her first collegiate start at pitcher facing 17 batters allowing 7 hits and four runs in 3.5 innings. Proper finished the game for St. Kate's allowing the final two runs.
The Wildcats tied the game again after Huepfel doubled bringing in Hinderaker.
Stout took the lead again in the top of the 6th getting two runs off of errors by the Wildcat's infield for the 6-4 final score.
St. Kate's plays again tomorrow, February 24
th, facing Nebraska-Wesleyan University at 10 a.m. and Buena Vista University immediately following at 12 p.m.
