MANKATO, Minn.- The University of Northwestern Softball team beat the cold and snow by beginning their 2023 season inside the Maverick All-Sports Dome in Mankato on Saturday. The Eagles played a double header to begin their 2023 campaign where they dropped the opener to Hamline 5-2, but bounced back with a 5-4 victory over St. Olaf.
Game One
The Eagles opened their season with an early morning game against the Hamline University Pipers. The Pipers jumped out to an early lead in the opener by hitting a two run triple in the second inning. A solo homerun surrendered by the Eagles in the fourth inning put their deficit at 3-0. The Pipers would score two more runs in the fifth inning to take a 5-0 lead.
In the seventh inning, the Eagles' bats woke up and started to mount a comeback.
Sydney Lane (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) doubled to drive in
Reganne Henning (Beatrice, Neb./Beatrice) for UNW's first run of the season. Lane herself would then come around to score on an RBI double by freshman
Riley Summers (Fontana, Wis./Big Foot) who picked up her first career collegiate RBI. However, the Eagle rally would end there as the comeback fell short, and UNW lost 5-2.
Emma Heffron (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) pitched a complete game for the Eagles only giving up two earned runs and picking up five strikeouts.
Game Two
In the second game of the day, against St. Olaf, the Eagles used the offensive momentum they gained towards the end of the opening game to jump out to an early lead.
Sydney Lane (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) would score an unearned run on a ball off the bat of
Jadyn Iverson (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo) and UNW had an early 1-0 lead over the Oles.
Both teams would score runs in the fourth inning as
Maggie Oehlerking (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) drove in her first run of the year as
Reganne Henning (Beatrice, Neb./Beatrice) scored on a sacrifice fly. However, the Oles answered right back with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame, and the two teams were tied after four innings.
Jadyn Iverson (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo) would break the tie with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning that scored
Mikayla Gee (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall). The score remained 3-2 in favor of the Eagles entering the seventh and final frame. In the seventh inning,
Grace Bentley (Omaha, Neb./Wheaton College) delivered the biggest swing of the day for the Eagles. The junior knocked a single up the middle to score two important insurance runs. Despite the Oles scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh, the Eagles clung on to the 5-4 win.
The Eagles saw a big milestone in the pitching circle as freshman
Ireland Strubbe (Chandler, Ariz./Valley Christian) picked up her first career collegiate win in her first appearance. Strubbe pitched a complete game picking up three strikeouts in the win.
Up Next
Next week, the Eagles will trade the warm indoors of a dome for the warm sunshine of Florida as they travel to play nine games in Winter Haven, Florida. Their first contest is on Friday, March 3
rd against Adrian College.
