DUNDAS, Minn. – The start of the 2018 campaign for the University of Northwestern softball team couldn't have been any sweeter, as the Eagles swept St. Olaf Friday night inside the Dundas Dome. UNW picked up a 5-2 win in the opener before taking game two, 14-10.
Game One
After taking a 1-0 lead on a STO error in the second inning, the Eagles tacked on two more runs in the third to extend their lead to 3-0. An
Ellie Ronning (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria Area ) triple highlighted the third frame.
The Oles used a home run to cut the deficit to 3-1, but UNW scored in the fifth and sixth thanks to an RBI from
Grace Wilson (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park ) and
Kayla Madison (North Branch, Minn./Forest Lake ).
St. Olaf threatened again in the seventh, scoring a run before centerfielder
Mindy Forcier (Watkins, Minn./Eden Valley-Watkins) threw out an Olaf runner at home to secure the win, 5-2.
Abbie Nelson (Holdrege, Neb./Holdrege) picked up the win in the circle and posted two hits.
Ellie Ronning (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria Area ) and
Kayla Madison (North Branch, Minn./Forest Lake ) both added a pair of base knocks as well.
Game Two
Trailing 8-5 in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Eagles offense exploded with a nine-run frame to go on top 14-8 and never looked back, downing the Oles 14-10 to complete the sweep.
Kayla Hannasch (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North ) had the hot bat, tallying four hits in five trips to the dish, while
Abbie Nelson (Holdrege, Neb./Holdrege) and
Kayla Madison (North Branch, Minn./Forest Lake ) had three hits apiece. Hannasch also racked up three RBI.
Lexi Kopacek (Willmar, Minn./Willmar) picked up her first collegiate win, hurling the final 4.1 innings.
The Eagles will be back in action next weekend at the Luther Tournament.The games will be played inside the Rochester Dome. Fans can find more information at unweagles.com.