WAVERLY, Iowa – The top-seeded and No. 24-ranked St. Olaf College softball team scored seven runs in the first two innings and went on to start the Waverly Regional of the 2021 NCAA Division III Softball Championship with an 11-3 six-inning win over sixth-seeded UW-Superior on Friday afternoon at Lynes Field.

After first pitch was moved back over three hours due to rain, St. Olaf (26-5) jumped on UW-Superior (22-15) starter Tayler Kraemer for seven runs over the first two innings. The Yellowjackets cut into a 7-0 deficit with three runs in the fifth before the Oles plated four runs in the sixth to claim the run-rule victory.

With the win, St. Olaf will take on the loser of today's third game between MSOE and Coe at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 22 in what will be an elimination game for either the Raiders or Kohawks. The victory was the second NCAA Tournament win in program history for the Oles and the first since a 5-3 win over Augustana (Ill.) in 1996.

UW-Superior threatened to score an early run in the top of the first, putting a runner on third base with one out before Julie Graf got a pair of strikeouts to get out of the inning. St. Olaf proceeded to put a pair of runs on the board in the bottom of the inning on a one-out, two-run double to the gap in right center by Katie Weisheit.

The Oles extended their lead to 7-0 with five runs in the second as six-straight batters reached in the frame. Maya Patty knocked in the first run of the inning with a bases-loaded single to shallow center. With the bases still loaded, Kaleigh Santmyer dropped a single into left that got by the left fielder to allow three more runs to score. Hannah Matthies followed with an RBI single of her own to cap the five-run inning.

In the fifth, the Yellowjackets scored their lone runs of the game, starting the inning with three consecutive hits and a sacrifice fly off reliever Carly Dammann.

St. Olaf ended the game after six innings with four runs in the home half of the sixth. Matthies drove in pinch-runner Katie Howard with a double after Santmyer walked to start the inning. Jenna Peschel added bases-loaded RBI single to right to make it 9-3 before the final two runs of the inning came in to score on bases-loaded hit batters with two outs.

Seven Oles had at least one hit, nine scored at least one run, and six tallied at least one RBI in the win. Patty and Matthies were both 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, two runs scored, and two RBI, while Weisheit was 2-for-2 with a run and two RBI.

Three pitchers worked in the game for St. Olaf. Graf made the start and struck out eight in three shutout innings before Dammann worked the fourth and fifth. Peschel got three ground balls to toss a 1-2-3 sixth.