DECORAH, Iowa - The St. Catherine University Wildcat softball team traveled to Decorah, Iowa to play a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) doubleheader against Gustavus Adolphus College. The conference foes split games with the Gusties taking game one 6-5 and St. Kate's collecting the 7-4 win in game two. St. Catherine is now 17-8 overall sitting in second place in the MIAC at 7-2.
Game 1 | St. Catherine 5, Gustavus Adolphus 6
In 33 at-bats, St. Kate's tallied 5 runs in 12 hits against the Gusties in game one. Rookie shortstop
Alex Ehde led the charge for the Wildcats going 2-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBI in the one-run loss.
St. Kate's was out to the early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning before Gustavus score six runs in the top of the third inning. The Wildcats battled back in the bottom of the fourth inning to score four more runs for a score of 6-5 Gusties. Four different players hit doubles in the first game at Hoff Field on the campus of Luther College.
Starting in the circle for St. Catherine was sophomore
Kathryn Proper pitching 2.66 innings with six strikeouts, and allowing five runs in six hits. Proper was relieved by
Rae Beaner in the third inning who allowed the Gusties to score one additional run. First-year
Annabelle Schutte finished the final three innings for the Wildcats striking out three of the 14 batters faced.
Game 2 | St. Catherine 7, Gustavus Adolphus 4
The second game of the conference doubleheader finished in favor of the Wildcats outscoring the Gusties 7-4 in 6.5 innings.
Gustavus scored two runs in the opening inning of the second game taking a 2-0 lead. Senior
Trish Sherman was across the plate first for St. Kate's when sophomore
Mikayla Grant got on first on an error in the bottom of the second inning for a score of 2-1 Gustavus.
The game-tying run game in the bottom of the third when rookie
Kaitlyn Backman drove junior
Amber Montero. Montero was responsible for the Wildcats next two runs after hitting a single bringing in Grant and junior
Autumn Mortenson going up 4-2.
The bottom of the fifth inning brought two more runs for the Wildcats to go up 6-2 when Backman scored on an error and Mortenson crossed the plate off of Grant's double.
The Gusties would go on to score a run in the top of the six inning for a score of 6-3 before St. Kate's scored their final run of the game when Ehde hit a solo home run to bring the score to 7-3.
Gustavus scored just one run in the top of the seventh inning to end the game 7-4.
Montero went 3-4 with one run, one double and two RBI in the win as Ehde was 1-4 with one run and one RBI. Grant was 1-3 with one double, scoring one run and adding three RBI.
Schutte collected the seventh win of her rookie campaign pitching five innings allowing two hits and two runs striking out three batters.
St. Catherine travels to Concordia College on Wednesday, April 17 for a conference doubleheader at 4 & 6 p.m.
