ST. PAUL, Minn.- The University of Northwestern Softball team continued their impressive run through the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles won their fourth and fifth consecutive games to improve to 9-1 in UMAC play by sweeping the Crown College Polars by scores of 10-6 and 6-1.
Game One
This doubleheader between the UMAC opponents was originally scheduled to take place on Crown's campus in St. Bonifacius but was moved to Reynolds Field this week due to unplayable field conditions at Crown. As a result, the Eagles occupied the visitors' dugout at Reynolds Field and batted in the top half of the innings throughout the afternoon.
The Eagles needed a big fifth inning to comeback to beat the Polars in the opener. Despite needing to come back later in the contest, it was actually the Eagles who scored first and took the first lead of the afternoon.
Mikayla Gee (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall) started the game with a walk and stolen base. She then advanced to third on a groundball before she would come around to score thanks to
Riley Summers (Fontana, Wis./Big Foot) hitting a ball to first base that was misplayed by the defense. UNW took a 1-0 lead.
Emma Heffron (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) was the starting pitcher for UNW and she followed up her team's run in the top of the first by pitching a scoreless bottom half of the frame. In the second inning, it was the Eagles who were held scoreless and the Polars who began to make some noise with their bats. Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the second, Crown got their first two batters of the inning on base with a single and a walk. After a couple of quick outs, Crown would start to mount a two out rally. With two outs in the inning Crown delivered an RBI single, drew a walk, picked up a stolen base, and then scored their second run on a passed ball. After picking up the final out of the inning, the Eagles trailed 2-1 entering the third.
Gee started the top of the third with a bunt single.
Sydney Lane (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Gee to second base before Summers hit a ground ball which got Gee to third base. With two outs and Gee standing 90 feet from home plate,
Jadyn Iverson (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo) dug in to bat and drew a walk. On ball four, the pitch got away from the Crown catcher and Gee scored the tying run.
The game moved along to the bottom of the fourth inning still deadlocked at 2-2. Crown would string together a big inning to take back the lead. The Polars got a leadoff single and then were helped by a couple of errors by the UNW infield. A wild pitch would also score a run, and Crown put up three runs in the fourth inning while only recording one hit in the frame.
UNW now trailed 5-2 as they entered the fifth inning, which would end up being the most pivotal inning of the ball game. UNW would put up eight runs to seize back control of the contest.
Sydney Lane (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) started it off with a single and then came around to score on a
Riley Summers (Fontana, Wis./Big Foot) triple. Summers scored thanks to an RBI double from
Jadyn Iverson (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo).
Reganne Henning (Beatrice, Neb./Beatrice) pinch ran for Iverson and scored on a
Megan Lundt (Frisco, Texas/Central Methodist) base hit up the middle.
Grace Bentley (Omaha, Neb./Wheaton College) and
Gabrielle Keith (Marble Rock, Iowa/Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock) hit back to back singles to load the bases.
Kate Beer (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) would hit the Eagles' fourth consecutive single to score Lundt and Bentley.
Allison Terry (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) picked up an RBI with an infield single that scored Keith. Iverson, up to bat for the second time in the inning, who pick up her second run scoring hit of the inning by scoring Lane and Gee with a single to left field to end the eight run inning.
Crown would pick up another run in the bottom of the seventh inning, but it would not be enough to chase down the Eagles. UNW won the first game of the doubleheader 10-6.
Emma Heffron (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) picked up her fifth win of the season by going four innings. Heffron was charged with allowing five runs, but only one run was earned and she only conceded three hits in the game while picking up two strikeouts.
Jenna Nusbaum (Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park) came out of the bullpen for the Eagles and gave her team three strong innings of relief. Crown got one run off of her, but it was an unearned run. She did not give up a hit and picked up two strikeouts.
The Eagles had 14 hits as a team with
Jadyn Iverson (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo),
Megan Lundt (Frisco, Texas/Central Methodist),
Gabrielle Keith (Marble Rock, Iowa/Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock),
Kate Beer (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake), and
Allison Terry (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) each having multi-hit games.
Game Two
As a contrast to the first game of the doubleheader where they had to come from behind to defeat the Polars, the Eagles led from start to finish in the finale. Once again the Eagles scored in the top of the first inning and once again it was
Mikayla Gee (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall) who crossed the plate first. She hit a double down the right field line and would later score on a passed ball. UNW led 1-0 after the first inning.
The second inning would pass by scoreless on each side and in the third inning the Eagles took a commanding lead.
Sydney Lane (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) scored on a single down the right field line from
Jadyn Iverson (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo). Once again,
Reganne Henning (Beatrice, Neb./Beatrice) pinch ran for Iverson and she along with
Megan Lundt (Frisco, Texas/Central Methodist) came around to score on a double by
Riley Summers (Fontana, Wis./Big Foot). Thanks to a three run third inning, UNW now held a 4-0 lead.
Crown would get a run back in the bottom half of the third. The Polars used three singles and a walk to score one run and build a serious threat to get back into the game. However,
Ireland Strubbe (Chandler, Ariz./Valley Christian) would pick up two strikeouts with the bases loaded to limit Crown to one run and keep the Eagles ahead 4-1.
After that, it was smooth sailing for the Eagles. Strubbe would not allow another run and the Eagles' offense continued to add to the lead. In the fifth inning,
Grace Bentley (Omaha, Neb./Wheaton College) scored on a single from
Gabrielle Keith (Marble Rock, Iowa/Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock). In the sixth inning,
Allison Terry (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) scored when
Sydney Lane (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) reached on an error in the Crown infield. The Eagles would win the game 6-1, picking up a UMAC sweep over the Polars.
Ireland Strubbe (Chandler, Ariz./Valley Christian) continued her phenomenal freshman season by picking up her eighth win in the circle. She only gave up one run over six innings and struck out four Polar batters.
Jenna Nusbaum (Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park) once again pitched in relief and threw a scoreless seventh inning.
Once again, the Eagles had 14 hits in the game.
Allison Terry (Blaine, Minn./Blaine),
Mikayla Gee (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall),
Jadyn Iverson (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo),
Megan Lundt (Frisco, Texas/Central Methodist), and
Gabrielle Keith (Marble Rock, Iowa/Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock) led the way with two hits in the contest.
Up Next
After a successful Saturday, UNW will now begin preparing for a big test on Tuesday, April 25
th. The Eagles are 9-1 in UMAC play and will square off with the only UMAC team to beat them this season. UNW travels to Mankato, Minnesota to take on Bethany Lutheran in a doubleheader starting at 3:30 PM.
