ROCHESTER, Minn. – The St. Olaf College softball team wrapped up its second weekend of dome games with losses to UW-La Crosse and Luther College on Sunday afternoon at the Rochester Regional Dome.
To start the day, St. Olaf (3-5) was plagued by three errors that led to five unearned runs for UW-La Crosse (2-1), as the Eagles got out to an early lead and went on to pick up a 6-1 win. Later in the day, senior
Andrea Conway delivered the game-tying RBI single in the bottom of the eighth with the Oles down to their final out, but Luther (6-1) claimed a 3-2 win in eight innings.
UW-La Crosse 6, St. Olaf 1 | Box Score
UW-La Crosse took advantage of three St. Olaf errors to score five unearned runs, which proved to be the difference in the opening game of the day. The Eagles strung together three two-out hits in a four-run bottom of the second that included a pair of errors by the Oles.
Junior
Jenna Peschel threw four innings of one-run relief for St. Olaf, allowing just one unearned run on one hit with one walk and five strikeouts. First year
Roxanne Ring got the start and surrendered five runs – although just one was earned – on five hits over the first two frames.
Sophomore
Amelia Christenson drove in the lone run of the game for the Oles with a two-out single in the fourth. Six hitters had one hit apiece for St. Olaf in the loss.
After starting the scoring with a first-inning solo home run by Jordyn McCormack, UW-La Crosse capitalized on two St. Olaf errors to plate four runs in the bottom of the second. The Eagles strung together four-straight two outs hits in the inning to build a 5-0 lead.
Trailing 6-0, the Oles got on the board with three-straight two-out hits in the top of the fourth. After junior
Hannah Peschel and Conway got on with singles, Christenson brought in Peschel with a single to left before being thrown out at second on the play.
A National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region honoree last season, Elise Weinzierl limited St. Olaf to one run on five hits with no walks and four strikeouts over five innings to earn the win for UW-La Crosse. Remington Stark struck out four over two innings of one-hit relief for the Eagles.
Luther 3, St. Olaf 2 (8 inn.) | Box Score
With the Oles down to their final out, Conway delivered a game-tying RBI single in the seventh to tie the game at 2-2, but Luther got an unearned run in the top of the eighth and held on for the extra-inning victory.
Junior
Jaelyn Orth worked all eight innings in the circle for St. Olaf, holding the Norse to three runs (two earned) on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts. The junior was outdueled by two-time NFCA All-Region selection Kendra Cooper, who struck out 12 and did not walk a batter while limiting the Oles to two runs on seven hits in the complete-game win.
Christenson had two of St. Olaf's seven hits in the game to extend her hitting streak to eight games to start the season and also drive in a run. After
Hannah Peschel led off the inning with a double, Christenson opened the scoring with a one-out RBI single in the bottom of the second.
Luther got a two-run single by Riley Sauser in the next half inning to take a 2-1 lead it would hold onto until Conway's clutch single in the bottom of the seventh. The senior's single plated fifth-year senior
Tarah DeCroock, who singled with one out before moving up to second on a ground out.
In the top of the eighth, the Norse got their runner in from second on a one-out error before Orth avoided further damage with a strikeout to leave two runners in scoring position. The Oles got their runner to third with two outs before senior
Maya Patty lined out to center for the final out.
St. Olaf is off until heading to THE Spring Games in Clermont, Fla. for six games from March 23-25. The Oles open the tournament against UW-Oshkosh (10:30 a.m. CT) and Grinnell College (1 p.m. CT) on Thursday, March 23.
