ST. PAUL. Minn.- The sun came in and out over Reynolds Field on Thursday afternoon as Northwestern Softball hosted a doubleheader against Augsburg University. Not only were the fans at Reynolds Field treated to some sunshine, but they were treated to a fantastic day of softball as the two teams split the doubleheader, each coming away with a one run victory.
Game One
Game one between the Eagles and the Auggies was a thriller. The early innings were controlled by the visitors. Augsburg scored a run apiece in the second and third innings to take a 2-0 lead before the home team got on the board in the bottom half of the third inning.
Sydney Lane (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) started the scoring for the Eagles by driving in
Maggie Oehlerking (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) with a ground ball and the score was 2-1 in the Auggies' favor after three innings.
Entering the fifth inning, the Augsburg offense caught fire. A three-run homerun in the fifth inning and two more runs in the sixth inning would give Augsburg a 7-1 lead going into the final two innings.
In the bottom half of the sixth inning, the Eagles started to climb back into the game. The comeback started when freshman
Kate Beer (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) teed off and sent a ball over the left field fence. This was the first homerun of Beer's career and the solo shot made it a 7-2 game.
In the bottom half of the seventh and final inning, the Eagles began a rally that saw them storm back into the game. The first six Eagle batters of the inning got on base and the Eagles put together a seventh inning rally that saw four runs score. The Eagles would come up one run short in their comeback effort as they dropped the first game of the doubleheader 7-6.
In that seventh inning rally Telma Roelser had a two run single.
Grace Bentley (Omaha, Neb./Wheaton College) would score on a wild pitch before a
Jadyn Iverson (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo) single would score Roelser.
Briggs Carlson (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) got the start for the Eagles and pitched six innings before
Diana Boyce (Phoenix, Ariz./Park City) pitched the seventh frame.
Carlson also had three hits to lead the Eagle offense and Iverson added two hits.
Game Two
The second game of the doubleheader was another tight contest. Once again, it was Augsburg that drew first blood on the scoreboard. The Auggies got a run in the top half of the first, but the Eagles responded in the bottom half of the frame.
Jadyn Iverson (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo) drove in
Briggs Carlson (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) with a fielder's choice and it was a 1-1 game after the first inning.
In this game, it was the Eagles who jumped out to a lead in the middle innings.
Briggs Carlson (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) continued her fantastic day at the plate as she drove a single to the outfield and scored
Emma Heffron (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) to give the Eagles their first lead of the day. In the bottom of the third
Telma Roesler (Hastings, Minn./Crown College) would score on a wild pitch and UNW took a 3-1 lead into the fourth.
Augsburg would start to make a comeback of their own in the fifth inning. Two Auggie runs would tie the game heading into the bottom half of the frame, and for the second consecutive game, the fans at Reynolds Field were in for a great finish.
In the bottom half of the fifth inning, it was
Kate Beer (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) who once again came up with a big hit in a pressure situation. The freshman rocketed a double to right centerfield scoring
Maggie Oehlerking (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) and
Telma Roesler (Hastings, Minn./Crown College) and the Eagles were back on top. Augsburg would add a run in the sixth inning, but it would not be enough as the home team would hold onto a 5-4 victory to earn a split in the doubleheader.
Emma Heffron (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) got the win on the mound to move to 4-2 on the season. The freshman pitched all seven innings and struck out four batters on the evening.
The Eagles had five hits in the game, and they were spread out with five separate players recording a hit in the contest.
Briggs Carlson (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West),
Sydney Lane (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian),
Telma Roesler (Hastings, Minn./Crown College),
Kate Beer (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake), and
Emma Heffron (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) all had base knocks for UNW.
Up Next
There will not be a lot of time for rest or relaxation for the Eagles as they will begin to prepare for another doubleheader at Reynolds Field against Macalester on Saturday, March 26
th.
