WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - The University of Northwestern Softball team has found its stride as they cruised to two wins and moved to 9-5 overall and 7-1 over spring break. UNW won 13-0 in the first game against Thomas, followed by a 12-0 victory over Suffolk.
GAME 1: Thomas College Terriers
Highlighted by 13 unanswered runs in a shutout win over Thomas College, the Eagles were firing on all cylinders as they turned in 10 runs in the 3rd inning alone.
Big performances from Emma Heffron (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian), Jadyn Iverson (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo), Mikayla Gee (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall), Allison Terry (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) and Sydney Lane (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) sparked the energy of the Eagles' dugout and headlined their shutout. Iverson put the ball in play in all three of her plate appearances and brought two runners home with each hit, finishing with 6 RBI. Lane and Gee both went 2-3 on the game hitting 2 runners home, while Terry also went 2-3 with 1 RBI.
Defensively, Heffron caused the Terriers problems as she was responsible for 10 of the 15 total outs throughout the five inning game. She struck out six batters and assisted on four putouts. The senior only allowed two hits and didn't walk any batters for a nearly perfect game pitched.
Going ahead in the first inning, both Terry and Gee got on base and stole second. With runners on second and third, Lani Schoper (Madison Lake, Minn./Mankato West) was walked to set the stage for Iverson, who drove Terry and Gee home. In the second inning, Lane made it to first and stole second before making it to third on a bunt from Terry, who then also stole second. Gee opened the door to home plate as she forced a fielder's choice allowing Lane to score, bringing the score to 3-0.
After three outs in the top of the 3rd inning, UNW broke open the scoring in the bottom of the inning, scoring 10 runs. The first two runs were scored by Schoper and Bryn Anderson (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) after a 2 RBI double from Iverson. Briar Armatoski (Amherst, Wis./Pacelli Catholic) pinch ran for Iverson and made it to third from a single by Lane. Kate Beer (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) made it on base after seeing four balls during her at-bat to load the bases. Terry made it to first off an error, which allowed Armatoski to score, and Beer and Lane to advance. Gee and Hannah Storey (Big Lake, Minn./Monticello) recorded back-to-back RBI to score two more runs, upping the score to 10. The final three runs of the inning and the game were brought home by another double from Iverson and a single from Lane.
GAME 2 - Suffolk University Rams
Northwestern stayed on par with their recent performances as they scored 12 unanswered runs in a shutout win over Suffolk University to complete the sweep and win their fourth game in a row.
During the 2nd inning, UNW scored eight of their 12 runs. Prior to the 2nd inning, Terry led off in the 1st with a single, then stole the remaining bases to score the opening run. With the 1-0 lead, Northwestern turned on the gas and didn't look back. Emma Edwards (Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine) scored first after being walked then ran to third off a double from Lane. After Beer was hit by a pitch to get on base, Terry drove a ball to second base, scoring Edwards. At first base, Gee was thrown out at first to allow Lane to cross home plate, and Beer and Terry to move bases. A passed ball brought home Beer and Terry advanced home on the following play. Storey, Schoper, and Iverson scored the next three runs off of an Iverson single, an Edwards double, and a Lane single, closing out the 2nd inning.
In the third and fourth innings, the Eagles posted three more runs before the end of the game. Terry scored on a sacrifice fly from Schoper for the 10th run of the game in the 3rd. For run number 11, Edwards scored after Beer was walked with the bases loaded. Trista Oberle (Hudson, Wisc./Homeschool) was also walked with loaded bases to bring home Lane for the final run.
With an impressive five innings in the circle, Ireland Strubbe (Chandler, Ariz./Valley Christian) also pitched a two-hit game for the Eagles' second shutout of the day. Strubbe led the Eagles' defensive effort by striking out seven batters and only walking one. Terry, Lane, and Edwards were perfect from the plate. Lane notched 2's across her stat line with 2 at-bats, 2 runs scored, 2 hits, and 2 RBI.
Over the course of the day, the Eagles celebrated Strubbe's and Gee's birthdays, Gee's UMAC Player of the Week honor, two shutouts, and 25 runs.
Only two varsity games remain for the Eagles before the close of their Florida trip. They play Albertus Magnus College and Hood College on Thursday, March 13, starting at 9:00 AM ET. UNW also plays two JV games on Friday, March 14, against Loras JV at 4:15 PM ET and Lake Forest JV at 6:30 PM ET at Fortune Road.
