MANKATO, Minn. – The St. Olaf College softball team opened its season by picking up an 11-9 win over Nebraska Wesleyan University and a 4-3 walk-off victory against Simpson College on Saturday night at the Bethany Kwik Trip Invitational at the Minnesota State University Dome.

St. Olaf (2-0) started the evening by recording four multi-run innings to top Nebraska Wesleyan (1-1) in a high-scoring opener. Later in the night, the Oles trailed Simpson (1-1) by a 3-1 margin heading into the bottom of the seventh before scoring three times, culminating in a walk-off infield single by fifth-year senior Maya Patty, to open the season with back-to-back wins for the first time since 2012.

On a night where the Oles racked up 26 hits, junior Medora Rylee led the way offensively by going 5-for-9 with two triples, three runs scored, and four RBI. First year Eva Hokanson was 5-for-5 with one RBI and two runs scored as Rylee and Hokanson both had four-hit games against the Prairie Wolves. Senior Hannah Peschel reached base four times with two hits and two walks while knocking in three runs.

St. Olaf returns to Mankato for the second weekend of the tournament on Saturday, Feb. 24. The Oles will face Bethany Lutheran College at 8 a.m. and the University of Northwestern at 10:30 a.m.

St. Olaf 11, Nebraska Wesleyan 9 | Box Score

Rylee and Hokanson combined for eight of St. Olaf's 16 hits in its season opener as the Oles scored multiple runs int eh first, second, fourth, and sixth innings. Nebraska Wesleyan held a 4-2 lead after one inning before St. Olaf scored nine of the next 10 runs to build an 11-5 cushion.

Rylee went 4-for-5 with a triple, two runs scored, and three RBI, while Hokanson was 4-for-4 with one RBI and scored twice. Junior Amelia Christenson provided a pair of doubles and drove in two runs, while senior Jenna Peschel went 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored, and two RBI.

Senior Jaelyn Orth went the distance in the circle for the Oles to claim the complete-game win, overcoming nine walks and five St. Olaf errors to hold off the Prairie Wolves late.

St. Olaf jumped on top in its first time at the plate this season, scoring on a ground-rule RBI double by Christenson followed by a run-scoring single by Jenna Peschel. Nebraska Wesleyan countered with four runs in the bottom of the first to go up by two after one.

The lead did not last long for the Prairie Wolves, however, as the Oles responded with three runs in the top of the second. After Hokanson singled to start the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice, Rylee brought the first year home with a single up the middle. Later in the inning, Christenson drove another ground-rule RBI double to right field and Hannah Peschel followed with a run-scoring single to put St. Olaf up 5-4.

With the score locked at 5-5, the Oles went ahead for good with a four-run top of the fourth, getting RBI singles from senior Anne Fossum and Hokanson on either side of a two-run triple from Jenna Peschel in the frame. Rylee pushed St. Olaf's lead to 11-5 with a two-out, two-run triple in the sixth, and the Oles held off the Prairie Wolves over their final two times at the plate.

St. Olaf 4, Simpson 3 | Box Score

Simpson held St. Olaf to one run over the first six innings before the Oles rallied in the seventh inning for the walk-off win. Sophomore Roxanne Ring logged a complete game in the circle for St. Olaf, limiting the Storm to one earned run on eight hits with one walk and six strikeouts.

Senior Shreya Ashok went 3-for-4 with a run scored and one RBI, while first year Regan Zak had a pair of hits and scored a run in her first collegiate start. Seven Oles registered at least one hit in the win.

Simpson got on the board first with a pair of runs in the top of the second, capitalizing on two St. Olaf errors in the inning to build a lead. The Oles were unable to score until the bottom of the fifth but halved their deficit on a bases-loaded, two-out walk to Hannah Peschel.

The Storm tacked on an apparent insurance run in the top of the seventh before St. Olaf rallied in its final time at the plate. After Zak led off the inning with a single, Rylee tripled to left center to make it a 3-2 game and put the tying run 60 feet away. Ashok followed with a single up the middle to tie the game and prompt a pitching change. With Ashok at third and two outs, Patty provided the game-winning hit with a hard-hit ground ball off the glove of the shortstop.