ROCHESTER, Minn. – Facing a pair of 30-win teams from a year ago, the St. Olaf College softball team suffered a pair of shutout losses to Concordia University Wisconsin and Luther College, falling by scores of 5-0 and 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at Rochester Regional Dome.
Concordia Wisconsin (1-0) got a three-hit, 15-strikeout shutout from 2021 All-American Gina Followell and broke open a scoreless game with three fourth-inning runs to blank St. Olaf (3-5) in the Oles' first game of the day. After a quick turnaround, Luther (3-2) scored the lone run of the game in the sixth to spoil another strong start from senior
Carly Dammann and edge the Oles, 1-0.
The games were the final contests for St. Olaf for nearly a month until the Oles head to Florida and Georgia in late March. Head coach
Kayla Hatting's team will play six games at THE Spring Games in Clermont, Fla. from March 25-27 before facing Piedmont and Emory in doubleheaders on March 29-30.
Concordia Wisconsin 5, St. Olaf 0 | Box Score
A National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Second Team All-American last spring, Followell got 15 of the 21 outs via strikeout in her three-hit shutout to pitch the Falcons to a 5-0 win in their season opener. Followell walked just two and only allowed two runners to reach second base in the game.
In a scoreless game, CUW gave Followell the only offensive support she would need by scoring three times in the top of the fourth. Kelsey Bollon plated an unearned run with a one-out double to left center, Claudia Utz added a run-scoring single two batters later, and a third run scored on a wild pitch in the inning.
The Falcons tacked on a run in the fifth on a two-out infield single by Madison Wheat and another unearned run in the seventh on a St. Olaf error. The Oles' best chance to score came in the home half of the second when junior Andy Conway reached on an infield single and got to second with nobody out on a passed ball, but Followell got three-straight strikeouts to end the frame.
The Oles got two runners on with one out in the third on an error and a walk but two more strikeouts got Followell out of trouble. Senior
Abby Grismer suffered the loss after allowing three runs (two earned) in four innings before giving way to sophomore
Jenna Peschel, who yielded two runs (one earned) over the final three innings.
Luther 1, St. Olaf 0 | Box Score
Dammann and Kendra Cooper were locked in a pitchers' duel over the first five innings before Luther got a run off sophomore
Jaelyn Orth in relief in the sixth inning for the lone run of the game. Cooper – an NFCA Second Team All-Midwest Region performer last year – tossed a three-hit shutout for the Norse with one walk and three strikeouts.
Dammann turned in her third-straight start allowing two runs or fewer to start the season for St. Olaf, limiting Luther to five hits and one walk with a pair of strikeouts. The senior has a 1.05 ERA in four appearances this season, holding opponents to three earned runs in 20.0 innings of work.
The Norse had a runner on second with nobody out in each of the first two half innings, but Dammann escaped trouble both times. Luther loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fifth on back-to-back singles followed by a St. Olaf error before Dammann got a fly out to right to end the frame.
In the top of the sixth, sophomore
Shreya Ashok led off with a single and advanced to third on an error following a single by Peschel before Peschel stole second, putting two runners in scoring position with nobody out for the Oles. Cooper got out of the inning, however, by getting three ground balls to keep the game scoreless.
Luther got the lone run of the game off Orth in the bottom of the sixth. Anna Forari led off the inning with a ground-rule double before a wild pitch moved pinch runner Katie Brennan to third. Belle Berg followed with an RBI single to left to bring in Brennan to break the deadlock.
Santmyer drew a one-out walk in the top of the seventh to put the tying run on base for St. Olaf, but Cooper got a ground ball for a double play to end the game.
