CLERMONT, Fla. – The St. Olaf College softball team dropped a pair of extra-inning games on Friday on its first day at THE Spring Games, falling by scores of 7-6 to Grinnell College and 9-8 to Hope College in two eight-inning contests at Legends Way Ballfields.

Fifth-year senior Abby Grismer delivered run-scoring hits in both games with St. Olaf (3-7) down to its final out in both games, but Hope (7-4) and Grinnell (5-8) outlasted the Oles in extra innings in both games. Five of St. Olaf's seven losses this season have come by a single run.

The Oles look to rebound with two more games on their second day in Florida on Saturday, March 26. St. Olaf takes on Williams College at 9 a.m. CDT and Westminster College (Mo.) at 11:30 a.m. CDT.

Hope 8, St. Olaf 7 (8 inn.) | Box Score

St. Olaf jumped out to an early 4-0 lead before Hope scored the next five runs to take a 5-4 lead into the seventh inning. With the Oles down to their final out, Grismer delivered a game-tying, two-out RBI single to send the game to extra innings. After St. Olaf scored once in the top of the eighth, Hope got back-to-back RBI singles from Grace Henry and Peyton Benjamin to claim the walk-off, extra-inning win.

The Oles jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the opening half inning, getting three hits and benefiting from two errors by the Flying Dutch. Junior Andrea Conway and senior Kaleigh Santmyer had run-scoring singles in the inning for St. Olaf off Hope starter Chloe Haskins, who had allowed just one hit in her previous three appearances (12.1 innings) after throwing a no-hitter against Wellesley and a one-hitter versus UW-Eau Claire in her last two starts.

Hope responded by getting two runs back in the bottom of the first on a two-out, two-run single by Vanessa Kroombeen. The Flying Dutch went on to take a 5-4 lead with three runs in the bottom of the third and held onto the lead until the seventh.

After the first batter was retired in the top of the seventh, sophomore Anne Fossum tripled to right – the first triple of her collegiate career – to put the tying run 60 feet away. Alaina Adams struck out the next batter to get Hope one out from the win, but Grismer drove a single to right to bring in Fossum and tie the game.

In the eighth, sophomore Shreya Ashok gave the Oles a 6-5 lead by beating out an infield single to bring in Santmyer, who moved up from second to third on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Jenna Peschel. Needing a run to prolong the game, Hope got two to end it in the bottom of the eighth, getting a walk and consecutive singles by Henry and Benjamin to pick up the 7-6 win.

Ashok had the second three-hit game of her collegiate career for St. Olaf, going 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Conway and Santmyer were both 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. After entering the game in the third, sophomore Jaelyn Orth held the Flying Dutch scoreless until the eighth but suffered the loss. Orth was charged with two runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks in 4.2 innings.

Grinnell 9, St. Olaf 8 (8 inn.) | Box Score

Grinnell used a seven-run fifth inning to build an 8-2 lead before St. Olaf scored single runs in the fifth and sixth and four runs in the seventh to extend the game to extra innings. Kambria Anson provided an RBI single in the top of the eighth to put the Pioneers back on top and the Oles were unable to advance their runner in the bottom of the inning, as Grinnell picked up its second one-run win over St. Olaf this season.

Ashok had her second three-hit game of the day for the Oles, going 3-for-5 with a run scored, while sophomore Hannah Peschel hit her first collegiate home run as part of St. Olaf's seventh-inning rally. Grismer reached base in all five of her trips to the plate, going 2-for-2 with three walks and two RBI.

After Grinnell scored a run in the first, the Oles claimed the lead with two runs in the third, as sophomore Katie Weisheit plated senior Tarah DeCroock with a two-out single and later came around to score on a wild pitch. St. Olaf held the one-run lead until Grinnell scored seven runs on just three hits in the fifth to open up an 8-2 lead.

The Oles chipped away at the lead with a run in the fifth and another in the sixth but still trailed 8-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh. After the leadoff hitter of the inning was retired, Ashok got her third hit of the game and Peschel followed with a two-run home run to cut St. Olaf's deficit in half.

Trailing by two, St. Olaf filled the bases before Grismer lined a two-out, two-run single to left to tie the game at 8-8. The Oles had a chance to win the game as the inning continued, but a ground ball left two runners in scoring position.

In the top of the eighth, Grinnell advanced its runner to third with a sacrifice bunt and, after a strikeout, Anson delivered the decisive run-scoring single to break the 8-8 tie, as the Pioneers hung on for the win.

Senior Carly Dammann worked the first four-plus innings for St. Olaf, striking out six while allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and four walks. Jenna Peschel yielded three runs (two earned) in one inning of relief before Grismer gave up an unearned run on two hits with four strikeouts over the final three innings.