NORTHFIELD, Minn. – A late home run from Abby Grismer in game one and a no-hitter by Julie Graf in game two propelled the St. Olaf College softball team to 4-3 and 1-0 wins over visiting Bethel University on Sunday afternoon at Mabel Shirley Field.

Grismer belted a two-run shot for her second home run of the season to give St. Olaf (13-3, 11-1 MIAC) a 4-1 lead in the sixth inning of the opener and Graf held off a Bethel (15-7, 8-4 MIAC) rally in the seventh. In game two, Graf tossed the sixth no-hitter of her career and Katie Weisheit provided an RBI double in the second inning for the lone run of the game.

The two wins kept St. Olaf in first place in the MIAC standings, as the Oles are tied with St. Kate's with identical 11-1 records. St. Thomas is a game behind at 10-2, followed by Saint Ben's (9-3) and Bethel (8-4).

St. Olaf 4, Bethel 3 | Box Score

In the opener, Grismer's two-run home run in the sixth put St. Olaf ahead by a 4-1 margin before Bethel mounted a rally in the seventh. The Royals pushed across two runs to make it a one-run game and still had the bases loaded, but Graf got Kayla Hokanson to hit a soft liner that Kaleigh Santmyer snared at shortstop for the final out.

Graf and Bethel's Kayla Simacek held the opposing offenses scoreless until the bottom of the fifth. Graf struck out 14 in the complete-game win, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits and six walks, while Simacek took the loss despite doing the distance for the Royals.

In a scoreless game, St. Olaf broke through in the fifth on a one-out, two-run double by Ally Bode after Katie Howard and Tarah DeCroock had singled earlier in the inning. Bethel broke up Graf's bid for a no-hitter with a leadoff bunt in the next half inning and pushed across a run on a two-out RBI single by Hokanson to make it a one-run game.

The Oles responded when Graf drew a one-out walk and Grismer followed with her second home run in as many weekends to stretch St. Olaf's lead to 4-1.

Bethel did not go down quietly, loading the bases with one out in the seventh on an error, a walk, and a bunt single. After Graf got a strikeout for the second out, Amanda Gemuenden drew a bases-loaded walk – her fourth walk of the game – to bring in a run and Jamie Axelberg followed with an infield hit to bring in another.

With St. Olaf clinging to a one-run lead, Graf got Hokanson to hit a soft line drive that Santmyer grabbed while moving to her right to finish off the opener.

St. Olaf 1, Bethel 0 | Box Score

Graf outdueled Simacek again in game two, striking out nine and walking two in the sixth no-hitter of her career. Simacek took the loss despite allowing just one run on seven hits with no walks and four strikeouts.

The Oles had at least one hit in every inning except the fourth and got one hit apiece from seven different hitters, including Weisheit's decisive RBI double in the second.

After Simacek got out of a second-and-third, nobody-out jam in the first, St. Olaf scored the game's only run in the second. Santmyer led off with a single to right, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Graf, and scored on Weisheit's double to left.

A leadoff walk to Hokanson to start the fifth inning was the lone baserunner for Bethel after the second inning, as Graf made sure the one run was enough. Only one Bethel batter got the ball out of the infield in the game.

St. Olaf travels to Hamline on Wednesday, April 21 for a twin bill starting at 3:30 p.m.