ST. PAUL, Minn.- The University of Northwestern Softball team was scheduled to play Crown in Mankato yesterday as a part of the UMAC Crossover Tournament. Due to weather, that game was postponed and rescheduled for Sunday afternoon. The Eagles hosted the Storm at Reynolds Field, although Crown served as the home team in the contest. The Eagles were able to outlast the Storm and win a thrilling game, 10-8.
The Eagles were in complete control of this game for the first four and a half innings, and that all started in the top of the first.
Briggs Carlson (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) continued her hot streak by hitting an RBI single to bring in
Mikayla Gee (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall) and start the scoring. Carlson would come around to score on a groundout to the shortstop off the bat of
Telma Roesler (Hastings, Minn./Crown College).
In the second inning, already leading 2-0, the Eagles' offense continued to attack.
Maggie Oehlerking (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) hit a double to centerfield that scored two runs. Oehlerking would then score on a sacrifice fly from
Sydney Lane (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian), and the Eagles had an early 5-0 lead after two innings.
In the third, the Eagles scored once again. This time it was pinch runner
Reganne Henning (Beatrice, Neb./Beatrice) scoring off of a
Telma Roesler (Hastings, Minn./Crown College) triple and the Eagles offense remained on cruise control.
Megan Lundt (Frisco, Texas/Central Methodist) would then drive in Roesler, and the Eagles led 7-0.
Showing no signs of slowing down, the Eagles came back up to the plate in the fourth inning and continued to swing hot bats. After Crown got their first run of the day in the bottom of the third, the Eagles immediately responded. The Eagles used speedy base running to add to their lead as
Mikayla Gee (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall) would score on a wild pitch and then
Sydney Lane (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) would score on a
Briggs Carlson (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) groundout to the shortstop.
Having scored in every inning of the game up to this point, the Eagles continued the streak in the fifth inning.
Ally Ehnstrom (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin) tucked a ball just fair inside the right field line and would end up with an RBI triple, scoring
Hannah Woodworth (Panora, Iowa/Panorama). When the top of the fifth ended, the Eagles had scored in every inning, led 10-1, and needed just three outs to end the game due to the eight run rule.
However, the game changed in the bottom of the fifth inning. Crown would score two runs in the fifth to extend the game to seven innings. In the final two innings of the game, the Storm would begin to storm back (no pun intended). After allowing runs in every inning up to that point, the Crown pitching staff would settle down and pitch scoreless sixth and seventh innings.
In the seventh inning, the Storm offense would really make things interesting. The Storm would push five runs across in the bottom of the final inning to make it a 10-8 ball game. The Storm would have the tying run at the plate, but the game would end there. The Eagles would get the final out and hang on for the two run victory.
Briggs Carlson (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West) pitched all seven innings for the Eagles, had three strikeouts, and picked up her 11
th win of the season.
After an exciting game on Sunday, these two teams will do battle two more times tomorrow. The Eagles will host the Storm (true home games for the Eagles) in a doubleheader starting at 3:30 PM tomorrow. This is the regular season finale for the Eagles.
