St. Paul, Minn. –– The University of Northwestern softball team was swept by Gustavus Adolphus College on Saturday. They lost game one 11-4 and game two 10-6. 

Game One

Gustavus jumped out front 2-0 in the top of the first, and the Gustie pitching staff retired the first nine Eagle batters. The Eagles rebounded in the bottom of the 4th with four runs of their own. Telma Roesler (Hastings, Minn./Crown College) led off the inning with a single, and then Brooke Koelln (Dassel, Minn./Dassel-Cokato) singled and stole second to set up second and third for the Eagles with no outs. Ellie Ronning (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria Area) singled up the middle to score Roesler before Shelby Stoll (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo) singled home both Koelln and Ronning. Hannah Woodworth (Panora, Iowa/Panorama) followed with another single to score Stoll to make it 4-2.

The Gusties bats got those runs back and even more in the top of the fifth as they made it 7-4. Northwestern had a scoring chance in the bottom half of the frame but left two runners on base. Gustavus added two more in both the sixth and seventh as they added on to their lead to make it 11-4.

Seven different hitters all recorded a hit in game one but the offense was limited to four runs. Briggs Carlson (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) gave up five earned runs in 5.2 innings in the circle before Diana Boyce (Phoenix, Ariz./Park City) relieved her.

Game Two

Northwestern had its first scoring chance of the game in the second as Stoll and Lindsey Dvorak (Richmond, Minn./ROCORI) both singled before Hannah Woodworth (Panora, Iowa/Panorama) followed with a one-out walk to load the bases. The Eagles stranded the bases loaded, but they would not be denied in the third. Ellie Ronning (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria Area) continued her scorching hot start to the spring with her first home run of the young season. Carlson followed with a double to right and then Stoll tripled to left to make it 2-0 UNW.

Gustavus took the lead in the top half of the fourth with a four-run inning to make it 4-2. Northwestern regained the lead in the bottom half of the frame as Hannah Woodworth (Panora, Iowa/Panorama) was hit by a pitch. Hailey Hansen (Elbow Lake, Minn./West Central Area) then walked before Rachel Linebaugh (Golden Valley, Minn./Grace Academy) reached on an error which scored Woodworth. Ronning followed with a two-out two-run double to retake the lead for Northwestern.

The Gusties broke the game open with a six-run sixth inning to make it 10-5. In the bottom of the sixth, Hansen led off and was hit by a pitch. Daisy Koffler (Pine City, Minn./Pine City) followed with a walk before Koelln loaded the bases with an infield single. Ronning singled through the right side to score Hansen but the Eagles stranded the bases loaded.

Ronning was 3-4 with four runs batted in and Shelby Stoll (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo) was 2-4 to lead the Eagles offense in game two.

Samantha Burkhart (Salix, Iowa/Westwood) got the start in the circle and gave up three earned runs in her seven innings of work. 

Up Next

The Eagles play a doubleheader against Bethel University on Tuesday, March 23rd at Reynolds Field. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 4:00 pm.

Follow Northwestern softball online at www.unweagles.com or on Instagram @unwsoftball.