Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

WEST ST. PAUL, Minn. – Less than 48 hours after playing a doubleheader outside, the Northwestern College softball team headed back indoors for a doubleheader with Martin Luther College at the West  St. Paul Regional Athletics Center. The Eagles split on the day, dropping the first contest 6-4 before winning the second, 13-1.

Neither the home team on the scoreboard, Northwestern, nor visiting Martin Luther were able to create much momentum in the first innings, with NWC notching just one hit in each of its first five at-bats. The Eagles were able to hold the Knights off from any offensive pressure until the top of the sixth, when MLC totaled five runs off of six hits by its nine batters at the plate.

The Eagles responded in the bottom half of the inning as Molly Johnsen (Floodwood, Minn./Floodwood) brought in teammate Megan Vanulzen on her single, getting Northwestern on the board for the first time and cutting into the Knights' advantage. In Martin Luther's last up, the offensive roll had slowed, but the squad still brought in one run to increase its margin back to five.

The Purple and Gold made its last trip to the batter box count, as Kelsey Stoltman (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View) led off with a two-baller to left center. Briana Rodgers (Monticello, Minn./Monticello) was the next Eagle to get on board, reaching on a fielder's choice and advancing on an error that would also score Stoltman. VanHulzen continued the final rally with a homer and two runs batted in (RBI) on the deal, while Morgan Pfaff (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) and Johnsen both contributed hits to the final stretch. Even tallying three runs in the final at-bat, it was too little, too late, as Martin Luther came away with the 6-4 advantage.

From the pitcher's circle, Johnsen struck out nine batters, while eight different Eagle players recorded at least one hit in the seven innings played.

In the next and final matchup of the day, the tables turned as NWC poured on seven runs in the first inning alone. The first seven batters in the lineup all got on base, with Stoltman, Kristin Sigurdsen (Barron, Wis./Barron), VanHulzen, Young, and Pfaff all recording hits in the process. The Eagles' five hits combined with two defensive errors provided the home team on the board a 7-0 advantage heading into the second inning.

The defensive efforts, headlined by Schurch on the mound, came up with three stops to hold MLC scoreless in its next outing in the batter's box, before the offense once again began rolling in the bottom half of the second. With Rodgers on first, VanHulzen hammered her second home run of the day to left field, the fourth of the freshman's career. Just four batters later, Ali Witthus (Chanhassen, Minn./Southwest Christian) got her turn in the spotlight as she circled the bases after sending her ball past the center field fence, bringing in three RBI. When three outs had been called, the Eagles headed back to the field with a 12-0 lead in their possession.

The final innings featured defensive stops, with Northwestern picking up one more score in the third, while the Knights followed with one of their own in the fourth to bring the final score to 13-1 in the fifth inning, due to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) eight-run rule. Schurch earned credit for the win, her third of the 2013 campaign.

NWC (11-15, 6-5 conference) will remain indoors for the remainder of the weekend as the team will take on Bethany Lutheran College in the Irish Sports Dome on Saturday, with the doubleheader slated to begin at 12:30 p.m.