NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College softball team got a two-hit shutout from junior Jenna Peschel in game one and a walk-off RBI single from senior Andy Conway to defeat Gustavus Adolphus College by scores of 8-0 in five innings and 5-4 in its home opener on Thursday afternoon at a blustery Mabel Shirley Field.

Peschel threw her second collegiate shutout to pitch St. Olaf (12-14, 6-2 MIAC) to the run-rule victory in game one, but Gustavus (8-14, 1-5 MIAC) was just one out away from earning a split after holding a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning of game two. Down to their final out, the Oles benefited from an error to stay alive before Conway won it for St. Olaf in walk-off fashion.

The sweep was the third in a row for the Oles in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play and ran St. Olaf's winning streak to 12 games in the series with Gustavus dating back to 2017.

The Oles head to St. Paul on Saturday, April 15 for a doubleheader at Hamline University at 1 and 3 p.m.

St. Olaf 8, Gustavus 0 (5 inn.) | Box Score

Peschel limited Gustavus to two singles in the five-inning complete game, striking out four batters with no walks to earn her fourth victory of the season. The shutout was the second of her career for the junior, who threw a five-hitter in a 5-0 win over Northland College on Feb. 19, 2022.

Offensively, fifth-year senior Tarah DeCroock reached base all three times out of the leadoff spot, going 2-for-2 with a walk, a double, and three RBI. Peschel helped her own cause by going 2-for-3 with one RBI and two runs scored, while sister Hannah Peschel went 2-for-3 with a triple, an RBI, and two runs scored.

The lone hits Jenna Peschel gave up in the game were a leadoff bunt single to start the game and a two-out single in the fifth that snapped a streak of 10-straight batters the right-hander retired.

In the second, the Peschels combined to get St. Olaf on the board when Hannah Peschel reached on a two-base dropped fly ball to start the inning and later scored on a sacrifice bunt by Jenna Peschel. With two outs and two runners in scoring position, DeCroock made it a three-run inning with a two-run single to shallow center field.

The Oles added another run in the third when Hannah Peschel singled in sophomore Amelia Christenson, who had doubled to start the inning and advanced to third on a wild pitch. St. Olaf wrapped up the run-rule victory with four more runs in the fifth, scoring on an RBI single by Jenna Peschel, an RBI double by first year Belle Schmidt, a sacrifice fly off the bat of DeCroock, and a game-ending RBI single by sophomore Medora Rylee.

St. Olaf 5, Gustavus 4 | Box Score

Gustavus used a three-run fourth inning to take a 4-3 lead in game two and held onto the lead until St. Olaf scored twice in the seventh to snatch the victory despite being outhit by a 12-6 margin in the game.

Six Oles had one hit apiece in the victory, including Christenson, who blasted her team-leading third home run of the season and drew a pair of walks. First year Roxanne Ring won her fourth-straight decision after holding the Gusties to one run on five hits over 3.2 innings of relief.

St. Olaf broke through in the bottom of the second on a two-out, two-run single just over the head of the shortstop by DeCroock. The hit came after junior Anne Fossum and Jenna Peschel reached based on a walk and a bunt single to start the inning before advancing on a sacrifice bunt by senior Maya Patty.

After Gustavus got on the board in the next half inning, the Oles got the run back when Christenson slugged a solo home run to left field to knock in her team-leading 20th run of the season. St. Olaf held onto the 3-1 lead until the Gusties scored three times in the fourth inning to take the lead, as Caitlin Olafsson delivered a two-out, two-run single to cap the inning.

With the visitors still up by a run, sophomore Emma Simons drew a walk as a pinch hitter to start the bottom of the seventh before the next two batters were retired to get Gustavus within one out of the win. After senior Annie Landon re-entered the game and stole second, Christenson walked on four pitches before a Gustie infielder dropped a pop up off the bat of Hannah Peschel to allow Landon to score from second to tie the game. On the second pitch of the next at bat, Conway bounced a single off the glove of the diving third baseman to score pinch-runner Elle Brandt from second and end the game.