CLERMONT, Fla. – The St. Olaf College softball team wrapped up its time at THE Spring Games with a 4-3 loss to No. 10 Tufts University and a 6-1 loss to Elmhurst College on Sunday at Legends Way Ballfields.
St. Olaf (4-10) went toe-to-toe with nationally-ranked Tufts (11-3) to start the day before falling by a run. In its final game at the tournament, the Oles left 12 runners on base in the loss to Elmhurst (6-8). Over the two games, St. Olaf was 2-for-24 (.083) with runners on base and 1-for-14 (.071) with runners in scoring position.
The Oles travel to Georgia for two more doubleheaders before returning to Minnesota later next week. St. Olaf plays a twin bill at Piedmont University on Tuesday, March 29 at 1 p.m. before playing two at Emory University the following day.
No. 10 Tufts 4, St. Olaf 3 | Box Score
In the opener, St. Olaf took an early 2-1 lead after an inning before Tufts scored the game's next three runs to take a two-run lead. The Oles got a run-scoring double from senior
Kaleigh Santmyer in the fifth to make it a one-run game but could not scratch across a tying run.
After the Jumbos got a run in the top of the first, St. Olaf grabbed the lead just two batters into the home half of the frame. After sophomore
Anne Fossum drew a leadoff walk, sophomore
Shreya Ashok dropped down a sacrifice bunt that the Tufts pitcher threw all the way into the right-field corner to allow both Fossum and Ashok to score.
Tufts took the lead back in the third with two runs, scoring on a sacrifice fly and a St. Olaf error to take a 3-2 lead. The Jumbos extended their lead to 4-2 with back-to-back doubles to start the fifth.
The Oles got one run back in the bottom of the fifth, scoring after the first two batters of the inning were retired. Ashok got on base with a two-out single and scored on Santmyer's double to center to make it a 4-3 game.
St. Olaf got a runner on base in each of its final two innings at the plate but could not find a tying run. Sophia DiCocco earned the win for the Jumbos, allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits over the first six innings. The sophomore has allowed just two earned runs in 45.2 innings this season for an ERA of 0.31.
Sophomore
Jaelyn Orth kept the Oles in the game, retiring nine of the 10 batters she faced with six ground outs and one strikeout. Fifth-year senior
Abby Grismer took the loss after surrendering four runs (three earned) on six hits over the first four-plus innings.
Elmhurst 6, St. Olaf 1 | Box Score
Fossum hit her second home run of the season to provide the lone run of the game for St. Olaf in its final game in Florida. Elmhurst got out to an early 2-0 lead after two innings and pulled away late with a three-run sixth.
The Blue Jays scored single runs in the first and second to take an early advantage before Fossum led off the third by belting a home run to center to get the Oles on the board. The home run was the third of the sophomore's career.
St. Olaf left the bases loaded in the top of the fourth before Elmhurst got a run in the next half inning to go up 3-1. The Oles again filled the bases in the fifth but could not score and the Blue Jays put the game out of reach in the sixth with three runs to open up a five-run lead.
Fossum got on base in three of her four plate appearances for St. Olaf, going 1-for-2 with a pair of walks in addition to her home run. Kate Sommer drove in half of Elmhurst's runs, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI, with all three of her run-scoring hits coming with two outs.
Orth was charged with the loss after giving up the first-inning run, as St. Olaf trailed the rest of the way. Senior
Carly Dammann struck out six in her 4.2 innings of relief, giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits and three walks.
