Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
NEW ULM, Minn. – The Northwestern College softball team collected 30 hits in two wins over Martin Luther College on Friday. The Eagles won 11-7 and 14-10 to maintain their fourth place status in the UMAC standings.
NWC scored at least one run in every inning until the seventh frame in Game 1, including four runs in the fifth inning and three runs in the sixth. Ashley Weimer (Hill City, Minn./Hill City) (Hill City, Minn./Hill City), who moved to the leadoff position, started the game off with a triple to left center before scoring on an RBI groundout by Jenny Kortus (Milaca, Minn./Milaca) (Milaca, Minn./Milaca). Jenna Ruby (Long Prairie, Minn./Long Prairie) (Long Prairie, Minn./Long Prairie) kept the Eagles' momentum going in the second inning, starting NWC's order with a home run over the left field fence.
In the four-run fifth inning, Northwestern tallied four hits, including a triple from Ruby to score Amanda Rodgers (Monticello, Minn./Monticello) (Monticello, Minn./Monticello) and Lauren August (Maple Plain, Minn./West Lutheran) (Maple Plain, Minn./West Lutheran). Two batters later, Alyssa Borgstrom (Amery, Wis./Amery) (Amery, Wis./Amery) hit another triple for the Eagles, scoring Rhonda Morgan (Andover, Minn./Meadow Creek) (Andover, Minn./Meadow Creek).
After Rodgers hit an RBI double in the sixth frame, Abbey Eagen (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) singled to left field, scoring two more runs for Northwestern.
Martin Luther, who scored two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings, added three more in the seventh inning before Northwestern was finally able to walk off the field with an 11-7 win.
Game 2 was an even bigger scoring spree, as the Eagles had three innings of scoring three runs or more. Down 2-1 after two innings, Northwestern scored three runs in the third inning, courtesy of three hits. After Morgan was walked with the bases loaded to score a run, Borgstrom singled to right field to score two more runs.
Martin Luther answered with three runs in both the third and fourth innings to take an 8-4 lead, but a five-run fifth inning for NWC gave the Eagles the lead. Weimer had a large part in the frame, as the senior hit her second triple of the day with the bases loaded to score three runs. After an RBI groundout by August, the Eagles held a 9-8 advantage.
More scoring ensued, as Northwestern added five insurance runs over the next two innings that would prove to be needed before the Eagles rested easy with a 14-10 victory. Jesse Lokken (Goodland, Minn./Nashwauk-Keewatin) and Rodgers both doubled in their next at-bats as both earned RBIs.
Rodgers and Kristie Bicket (Zion, Ill./Zion-Benton Township) (Zion, Ill./Zion-Benton) each had four-hit games for Northwestern, while August recorded three hits in Game 1. For the day, Northwestern's 30 hits scored 25 runs while 22 runs were batted in.
Ashley Olson (Baxter, Minn./Brainerd) (Baxter, Minn./Brainerd) and Rodgers each recorded a win from the pitcher's circle on the day.
Northwestern will be back in action on Tuesday, April 21, when it hosts a four-team rotation day. St. Scholastica, Northland and Crown will all come to Reynolds Field to play one game against two of the other schools. The Eagles will face off against St. Scholastica at 11 a.m. before playing Northland at 1 p.m. Other games that day are scheduled for 3 and 5 p.m.
