Box Score
ST. PAUL – The rain held off, allowing both Northwestern College and North Central University face off in softball action Monday afternoon. Northwestern came out victorious, pouring on six runs in the sixth inning en route to a 8-0 final score in favor of the Eagles. Shining bright was the pitching performance of
Molly Johnsen (Floodwood, Minn./Floodwood) who picked up her second no-hitter of the 2013 season.
North Central's first time at-bat was a quick one, as three quick pop-ups landed in the gloves of the NWC defenders. The next full inning would remain quiet, with just
Kelsey Stoltman (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View) getting on base for the Eagles after earning a walk.
Cue the bottom of the second and the home team began picking up momentum, as
Kristin Sigurdsen (Barron, Wis./Barron), fresh off a .500 batting weekend, pounded a double to left field. With two outs on the board,
Lauren Young (Shoreview, Minn./Concordia Academy) sent the ball over the left-field fence, scoring Sigurdsen and picking up two runs batted in (RBI). The inning would end with the Eagles' posting two runs off three hits and owning a 2-0 advantage early in the contest.
The top of the third could have been titled the
Molly Johnsen (Floodwood, Minn./Floodwood) Show, as the sophomore struck out all three of the batters she faced. Once again, the defensive action controlled the contest, resulting in zero hits over the next two and a half innings.
The bats began firing for the Purple and Gold in the bottom of the sixth as
Anna Schurch (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) got on base after a right-center single. Young picked up a walk as the next batter, leaving the Eagles with two on board, before Stoltman would eventually garner an RBI with a single, scoring Schurch. Already successful on the mound, Johnsen was the next Eagle to send a runner home after getting a ball past the Rams' defense, increasing the advantage to 4-0 in favor of the home squad.
A North Central error allowed
Briana Rodgers (Monticello, Minn./Monticello) to get on base, providing a scoring opportunity for both Johnsen and Stoltman to reach home.
Megan VanHulzen (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Park Center) made her presence felt with a single up next, closely followed by yet another Sigurdsen hit scoring Rodgers and leaving the margin at 7-0. The final play of the day came from catcher
Morgan Pfaff (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove), who brought in the final run with a one-baser of her own, securing the eight-run rule victory in favor of Northwestern.
Leading the charge from the batter box was Sigurdsen, who picked up credit for three hits on the afternoon, closely followed by a double total from Stoltman and Young.
On the mound, Johnsen struck out 11 of the 19 batters she faced in six innings, just one day after totaling 20 strikeouts in a doubleheader versus Northland College on Sunday. The no-hitter was Johnsen's second of her sophomore campaign, with the last one coming in early March.
Next up for Northwestern (7-11 overall, 2-1 conference) is an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) doubleheader at Crown College on Friday, April 12. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. in St. Bonifacius.
