ST. PAUL, Minn. – The No. 17 St. Olaf College softball team won game one, 6-1, behind a 16-strikeout complete game from Julie Graf before St. Scholastica claimed the nightcap, 10-7, in a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday evening at the University of Northwestern's Reynolds Field.

Graf picked up the 60th win of her career in the opener for St. Olaf (2-2), giving up a first-inning run before holding St. Scholastica (13-3) scoreless the rest of the way. The Saints put up eight runs in the first two innings of game two and held on for the split despite a six-run third inning for the Oles.

No. 17 St. Olaf 6, St. Scholastica 1 | Box Score

After yielding a first-inning run, Graf held the Saints over the final six innings, including retiring the final 14 batters she faced. The senior allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out 16 to earn the win.

Offensively, first year Katie Weisheit was 3-for-4 with a run, two RBI, and a stolen base to lead the way for St. Olaf. Tarah DeCroock and Hannah Matthies each reached base three times, going 2-for-3 with a walk.

The first three batters of the game all reached to push across an early run for St. Scholastica. Graf limited the damage to one run by striking out the final two batters to leave runners at second and third.

The Oles responded with two runs in the bottom of the first. DeCroock and Ally Bode started the inning with back-to-back singles and St. Olaf later filled the bases with one out for Weisheit, who singled in DeCroock and Ally Bode to give the Oles the lead.

The score remained 2-1 until the bottom of the fifth when St. Olaf broke the game open with four runs. Matthies and Graf each had RBI singles in the inning and DeCroock drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs to cap the four-run frame.

After having a runner in scoring position in each of the first three innings, the Saints did not get a runner on base in their final four innings against Graf.

St. Scholastica 10, No. 17 St. Olaf 7 | Box Score

St. Scholastica struck for five runs in the first and three more in the second to build an early 8-1 lead in game two. St. Olaf cut its deficit to one, 8-7, with a six-run third but did not score the rest of the way.

Matthies capped a 5-for-7 night at the plate by going 3-for-4 with two doubles, one run, and three RBI, while first year Hannah Peschel was 2-for-3 with a double, a run and two RBI

St. Scholastica made the most of its six hits in the game, as the Saints stole nine bases and got a first-inning grand slam from Josie Fourre, who drove in six runs in the game.

Like the Saints did in game one, the Oles quickly scored a run in the top of the first, as Matthies doubled in Shreya Ashok with two outs. St. Scholastica scored five in the bottom of the inning highlighted by Fourre's grand slam to right – the lone hit of the inning – to go ahead 5-1.

The Saints extended their lead to 8-1 in the second with three more runs, including two on a two-out single by Fourre.

St. Olaf got back in the game in the top of the third with six runs of its own on six hits. Matthies and Peschel provided the big hits of the inning, with Matthies knocking in two with a one-out double to right and Peschel plating two more with a two-out double to center.

St. Scholastica tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the fourth and Olivia Howe made the lead stand up. Howe improved to 7-1 on the season despite allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits with four walks and six strikeouts.

Graf made it a 20-strikeout day with four strikeouts in 2.1 innings of no-hit relief for St. Olaf after Carly Dammann and Jaelyn Orth worked the first 3.2 innings. Orth's appearance was the first of her collegiate career.

The Oles conclude their six-game non-conference schedule with a doubleheader against Crown College on Friday, March 26 at the Dundas Dome at 6/8 p.m.