ST. PAUL, Minn.- The University of Northwestern concluded the UMAC Crossover Tournament with an eventful day on Saturday. The Eagles went 2-0 on the day, defeating Northland College and then winning a wild game over first place Wisconsin-Superior.
Game One
The Eagles started their day by playing Northland in their first game. The Eagles celebrated Senior Day before the game as the members of the team had an opportunity to speak about the seniors on the team. The Eagles honored
Briggs Carlson (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West),
Telma Roesler (Hastings, Minn./Crown College), and
Hannah Woodworth (Panora, Iowa/Panorama) prior to the first pitch. The UNW Softball program thanks these three for their hard work and commitment to Eagle Softball.
After both teams were held scoreless during the first two innings, the Eagles broke through in the third inning.
Mikayla Gee (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall) laid down a bunt, and reached first base with a single as
Grace Bentley (Omaha, Neb./Wheaton College) was able to score to give the Eagles a lead that they would not surrender in the contest.
Briggs Carlson (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) would then hit a sacrifice fly that scored Gee, and UNW led 2-0 after three innings.
The next run of the game would not come until the sixth inning when
Hannah Woodworth (Panora, Iowa/Panorama) would hit a single to left centerfield to score
Telma Roesler (Hastings, Minn./Crown College) and extended their lead to three runs.
In the bottom of the sixth inning (the Eagles were playing as the road team despite being at Reynolds Field) the Lumberjills began to mount a comeback. After being held scoreless up until that point, the Lumberjills scored two runs highlighted by a triple down the right field line. The game became a nail biter as it was 3-2 entering the seventh inning.
In the seventh inning, the Eagles provided some insurance runs to seal the victory.
Sydney Lane (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) laced a single to right field to score
Mikayla Gee (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall), and
Telma Roesler (Hastings, Minn./Crown College) hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Lane. The Eagles won the game 5-2.
Emma Heffron (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) improved to an impressive 9-3 record by pitching a complete game on her way to the win. Heffron only gave up one earned run and struck out two batters.
Game Two
The second game of the day for UNW saw the Eagles match up with Wisconsin-Superior, who was in first place in the conference standings having only lost one conference game prior. The Eagles entered the game in second place in the conference, and the game lived up to the hype as it was one of the most eventful games in recent memory.
The game started with another pregame ceremony. This time the ceremony was held to honor former Eagle Softball coach, Delroy Johnson. Coach Johnson was the Eagles' head coach from 1982-1997 and passed away this past November. Prior to first pitch the Eagles presented Coach Johnson's family with a plaque that will hang in the Eagles' dugout to honor Coach's life and service to Northwestern.
Once the game started, it was clear from the beginning that this would be a battle between the two top teams in the standings. Wisconsin-Superior scored a run right away in the top of the first, but the Eagles would immediately respond. In the bottom of the first
Jadyn Iverson (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo) picked up two RBIs by singling home
Briggs Carlson (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) and
Mikayla Gee (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall). Iverson would then score on a
Kate Beer (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) single, and the Eagles led 3-1 after one inning.
The offense continued in the second inning.
Sydney Lane (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) scored an unearned run and UNW had a three run lead, but the Yellowjackets would score twice in the third inning to pull the score to 4-3 with the Eagles leading.
The game remained at 4-3 as we entered the bottom of the sixth, and the game completely changed. The weather had been nice throughout the game but took a quick turn in the sixth inning. Due to nearby lightning, the game was delayed and the teams had to leave the field. The rain delay would last over two hours, but both teams remained in good spirits and even spent time together during the delay.
Finally, four hours after the game began, the teams returned to the field. The Eagles were retired in the sixth, and we entered an entertaining final inning. Superior would tie the game at 4-4, and had a chance to take the lead with two outs. A line drive was laced and on its way to right field, but second baseman
Mikayla Gee (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall) would leap and make an incredible catch to keep the game tied heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.
With the speedy
Reganne Henning (Beatrice, Neb./Beatrice) on second base, and two outs in the inning, freshman
Kate Beer (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) stepped into the batters' box. Beer would call game. The freshman came through in the clutch by punching a single into shallow left field, and Henning flew around third and scored the game winning run. The Eagles won on the walk off single, 5-4.
Up Next
After an epic game on Saturday, the Eagles and the Yellowjackets will meet again on Monday. The two teams will play a doubleheader and those games will have major UMAC standings implications once again.
