ST. PAUL, Minn. – After ripping off a six-game winning streak to close The Spring Games in Florida, including shutout wins in the final five games, the University of Northwestern Softball team was unable to keep the momentum rolling upon returning home to Minnesota. The Eagles welcomed St. Olaf College to Reynolds Field for its 2025 home-opening doubleheader and fell by 4-1 and 5-4 scores despite having leads in both games.
Game One
Northwestern's lone run of game one came in immediate fashion in the bottom of the first inning, after a diving catch in right field by
Riley Summers (Fontana, Wis./Big Foot) left the bases full for St. Olaf in the top of the inning.
Mikayla Gee (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall) led off with a walk, then
Hannah Storey (Big Lake, Minn./Monticello) singled.
Lani Schoper (Madison Lake, Minn./Mankato West) bunted and beat out the throw to first, loading the bases for
Jadyn Iverson (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo). The UMAC Player of the Week (announced Tuesday morning) grounded into a fielder's choice, which scored Gee to give UNW a 1-0 advantage. A double play ended the inning, stranding Storey at third base.
St. Olaf plated two runs in the fourth inning to take a 2-1 lead. The Eagles got a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the fifth when Gee singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch, but weren't able to get her home. Northwestern made a pitching change in the top of the sixth, and the Oles took advantage, tacking on two more runs to open up a 4-1 edge. UNW got two runners on in the bottom half after
Bryn Anderson (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) reached on an error and
Emma Edwards (Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine) hit a pinch-hit single, but to no avail. The visitors were able to close out a 4-1 victory to end Northwestern's winning streak at six games.
Gee was the lone Eagle to record multiple hits in game one, going 2-2 from the plate, drawing one walk and scoring UNW's lone run. Iverson logged the only RBI for Northwestern in the contest. UMAC Pitcher of the Week,
Emma Heffron (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian), was credited with the loss in the circle despite a solid outing of 5.0 innings, five hits, zero earned runs and three strikeouts.
Game Two
Despite the end of their winning streak, the Eagles looked determined to bounce back in game two against St. Olaf.
Lani Schoper (Madison Lake, Minn./Mankato West) walked with two outs in the bottom of the first, then proceeded to steal both second and third base, taking advantage of some inaccurate pitching in the circle. Iverson walked as well, but a pitching change by the Oles proved to be the right move, as a groundout ended the threat.
After another clean inning of pitching by
Ireland Strubbe (Chandler, Ariz./Valley Christian), UNW got on the board in the bottom of the second.
Sydney Lane (Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) clubbed a one-out double to left field, then advanced to third on a groundout.
Kate Beer (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake) blooped a single to right to bring Lane home and give Northwestern a 1-0 edge for the second time on the day.
The third inning proved to be the most productive for the Eagles' bats.
Hannah Storey (Big Lake, Minn./Monticello) led off the inning with a single up the middle and subsequently stole second base. She advanced to third on a Schoper single, then UNW's shortstop stole second herself. With two runners in scoring position,
Jadyn Iverson (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo) ripped a single to right-center, bringing both teammates around to score.
Emma Edwards (Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine) hit into a fielder's choice, but advanced to second on an errant throw to first base. This proved costly for St. Olaf, as Lane smacked another double to the fence to score Edwards from second and extend the lead to 4-0.
The Oles got one run back in the top of the fourth, and another in the fifth, to pull within two. As the temperatures at Reynolds Field dropped, Northwestern's bats went cold as well, keeping the door open for its adversary. That came to fruition in the top of the seventh, when St. Olaf plated three runs to take a 5-4 lead, while leaving two runners stranded in scoring position. Gee gave the Eagles some hope with a lead-off single, and wound up on third base with two outs and Iverson at the plate. After a battle at the plate, the senior grounded out to end the game, a 5-4 loss for the home team.
Lane was terrific at the dish, going 2-3 with a pair of doubles, one RBI and one run scored. Iverson drove in two runs, while Beer knocked in the other. Strubbe went the distance, pitching all seven innings and striking out five while giving up five earned runs.
Up Next
UNW will begin conference play on Friday, March 21
st by taking on North Central in Maple Grove. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 PM and the game can be streamed on the UMAC Sports Network.
