ST. JOSEPH, Minn.- The University of Northwestern Softball team's fantastic 2023 season came to a close on Saturday as the Eagles' postseason run ended on the second day of competition in the UMAC Postseason Tournament. UNW extended their season by winning an elimination game in convincing fashion 11-0 over Crown College. The tournament is double elimination and the Eagles suffered a loss to Wisconsin-Superior on Thursday to open the tournament. The Superior Yellowjackets then dropped a contest to top seeded Bethany Lutheran in the opening game on Saturday. This set up a rematch between #3 UNW and #2 UWS just two days later with the winner advancing to play against #1 BLC for the UMAC Tournament Championship on Sunday. The Yellowjackets knocked off the Eagles 7-1, ending UNW's season.
Game One
Facing difficult circumstances, the Eagles responded in a big way in their first game on Saturday. Due to weather issues in Mankato (the site of the UMAC Postseason Tournament due to Bethany Lutheran taking the top seed) the Eagles, along with all of the other teams in the tournament, did not play their scheduled games on Friday. As a result, all of the teams had to pivot and begin preparing for Saturday competition instead. Additionally, the location of the tournament changed as well as the dates. Once again Mother Nature remains undefeated as rain drove the tournament out of Mankato and up to a neutral site. The UMAC announced that all remaining games in the 2023 UMAC Postseason Tournament would be played at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota.
On top of all of those changes, the Eagles knew that they were one loss away from elimination as they faced the #4 seed Crown College Polars. UNW responded to the challenge. Their bats along with their pitching were dominant as they earned another game in their 2023 season with an 11-0 victory over Crown.
Emma Heffron (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian), who pitched well in the Eagles' opening game of the tournament, started things off by throwing a scoreless first inning. UNW would then deliver the first blow on the scoreboard in the home half of the first thanks to an RBI double from
Jadyn Iverson (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo) that scored
Sydney Lane (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian). The Eagles held an early 1-0 lead.
Heffron remained on cruise control as she held the Polars scoreless in the second and third innings as well. In the bottom of the third, UNW added to their lead.
Megan Lundt (Frisco, Texas/Central Methodist) delivered an RBI double of her own that brought
Mikayla Gee (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall) around to score.
Grace Bentley (Omaha, Neb./Wheaton College) then came up to bat with the bases loaded and drove a single to right field that scored Lundt. The Eagles had a three run lead after three innings.
Heffron blanked Crown once again in the fourth and when her teammates came up to bat in the bottom of the inning, they put the game away. The Eagles scored eight runs in the inning to ensure that they would get at least one more game in their 2023 season. The scoring started when
Maggie Oehlerking (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) came home on a single from Lane.
Allison Terry (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) scored when Lundt hit a single up the middle and Gee would score on an error.
Kate Beer (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) then ripped a single to score Lane and Bentley drove in Iverson and Lundt with a two run double.
Gabrielle Keith (Marble Rock, Iowa/Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock) would end the inning with an RBI single scoring Beer and the Eagles' long inning was finally over. Heffron would pitch a scoreless fifth and UNW would win 11-0.
Heffron came up big in the elimination game as the sophomore turned in one of the best performances of her Eagle career in the circle. She pitched a complete game, did not give up a run, and only gave up three baserunners with two hits and a walk. She picked up six strikeouts in only five innings.
Game Two
The Eagles' emphatic win over the Polars earned them another crack at the Yellowjackets, who had lost in extra innings to the top seeded Vikings earlier in the afternoon. The game marked the ultimate rubber match between two teams that have been battling at the top of the UMAC over recent years. The two teams had each won two games apiece against the other this season and were only separated by a game in the 2023 UMAC standings. Both teams had suffered a loss in the tournament already and needed to win to keep their tournament championship hopes alive.
The first two innings of this contest would be the most important of the game as the Yellowjackets jumped out to an early lead that the Eagles were never able to recover from. Superior would get their first four batters of the game on base on their way to scoring three first inning runs. They would then string more hits together in the second inning, highlighted by two doubles, as they scored three more runs. In the blink of an eye, UNW found themselves in a 6-0 hole.
The Eagles' pitching staff would recover and
Jenna Nusbaum (Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park) pitched a scoreless third inning. The Jackets would grab another run in the fourth to extend the lead to 7-0, but UNW would hold them scoreless the rest of the way.
Emma Heffron (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) came in out of the bullpen and gave the Eagles 2.2 innings of scoreless relief only giving up one hit and striking out two.
The Eagles' offense struggled to get much going against Superior's starting pitcher. As was the case in the earlier game between the two teams in the tournament, UNW got runners on base but were unable to drive them in. UNW had seven hits and drew three walks in the contest but were held scoreless through six innings.
Trailing 7-0 and entering what could be their final inning of the season, the Eagles refused to quit.
Sydney Lane (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) drew a one out walk and
Megan Lundt (Frisco, Texas/Central Methodist) followed with a single.
Jadyn Iverson (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo) would knock a single to centerfield that allowed Lane to score the Eagles' first run of the game. However, the Eagles' comeback would end there as the next two batters were retired. The Eagles' season ended in a 7-1 loss to the Yellowjackets.
UNW's 2023 season was an incredible ride. The Eagles finished the season with an outstanding overall record of 23-12. The ladies finished the regular season with a UMAC record of 16-5 which was good enough for the #3 seed in the postseason tournament where the Eagles have become a regular over the last decade. Despite the fantastic 2023 season, the future may be even brighter for this team. The Eagles do not graduate a senior from this year's squad and only have three players who are currently juniors on this year's team. This young team got on a great run in 2023 and will look to continue to grow in 2024.
