St. Paul, Minn. –– The University of Northwestern Eagles (8-18, 3-3 UMAC) welcomed the College of St. Scholastica (19-3, 4-0 UMAC) to Reynolds Field on Saturday afternoon for Senior Day. The Eagles celebrated their three seniors: Kayla Hannasch (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North), Courtney Schmidt (Spring Valley, Minn/Kingsland), and Ellie Ronning (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria Area) in between the games. The Saints swept the doubleheader with scores of 5-4 and 4-2.

Game One
The Saints took the lead of the two team's final UMAC regular-season meeting with a two-out solo homerun in the top of the first. The Eagles responded in the bottom half of the frame when Courtney Schmidt (Spring Valley, Minn/Kingsland) reached via a single to center. Ellie Ronning (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria Area) hit a deep double to center to bring home Schmidt before Telma Roesler (Hastings, Minn./Crown College) hit a ball that caromed off the batting cages in right field for a double to make it 2-1. Kayla Hannasch (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) reached via an error and stole second to make it second and third, but the Eagles could not add on. Very fittingly, all three seniors reached in the first inning.

St. Scholastica stranded the bases loaded in the second, but they tied it in the third. The Saints followed with one run in the fourth, sixth, and seventh innings to make it 5-2. In the seventh, Brooke Koelln (Dassel, Minn./Dassel-Cokato) led off with a walk. Briggs Carlson (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) followed with a single to right, and Schmidt drove in Koelln with a single back up the middle to bring the Eagles within two with the go-ahead run at the plate. Roesler made it 5-4 with a single to right and got the tying run to third with one out. Scholastica changed pitchers as the Eagles looked to tie it, but they couldn't cash in and left runners on the corners.

Schmidt reached three times, and Roesler and Shelby Stoll (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo) both reached twice. Samantha Burkhart (Salix, Iowa/Westwood) got the start in the circle and gave up three earned runs in five innings. Diana Boyce (Phoenix, Ariz./Park City) came in in relief, and she pitched the final two innings.

Game Two

Scholastica took the lead again in the first with a single, but the Eagles threatened in the bottom half. Schmidt and Ronning both singled with one out, but they were left stranded. In the top of the second, the inning was highlighted by a 12-pitch battle between Carlson in the circle and Scholastica senior Josie Fourre, who drew a walk to load the bases. Carlson made her way out of the inning, though, to keep it 1-0. Northwestern threatened again in the second but didn't score.

Scholastica added a second run in the third, and Northwestern got on the board in the fourth in response. Hannah Woodworth (Panora, Iowa/Panorama) hit the first pitch she saw to center before Shelby Stoll (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo) drew an eight-pitch walk. Both runners advanced on Hailey Hansen's (Elbow Lake, Minn./West Central Area) fly ball to center, and Brooke Koelln (Dassel, Minn./Dassel-Cokato) drove home Woodworth with a single. Scholastica added on to their lead in the fifth and sixth to make it 4-1.

Shelby Stoll (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo) hit her first collegiate homerun on a flyball to center that carried over the wall, but Northwestern could not add any more. Ellie Ronning (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria Area) and Shelby Stoll (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo) both reached three times. 

Briggs Carlson (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) threw all seven innings for the Eagles and gave up three earned runs while striking out four.

Up Next

The Eagles travel to Morris, Minnesota in a conference doubleheader on Tuesday, April 13th against the University of Minnesota Morris. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 12:00 pm.

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