University of St. Thomas Athletics
25-6, 9-4
Gustavus Adolphus
19-12, 9-4
Softball suffers pair of extra-inning losses to Gustavus
4/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
ST. PAUL – The St. Thomas softball team suffered a pair of extra-inning losses at the hands of Gustavus Adolphus College on Tuesday afternoon at South Field. The Tommies fell by the score of 2-0 in eight innings in the first game before going 10 innings in a 5-3 loss in game two. With today's results, UST falls to 25-7 overall and 9-5 in the MIAC, while Gustavus improves to 20-12 and 10-4 in league play.
Game 1 – St. Thomas 0, Gustavus 2
After holding the Gusties scoreless in the top of the first, the Tommies developed a scoring chance in the bottom half of the inning. Senior McKenzie Wergin led off the half inning with a single before Megan Dupuis followed with another single. Two batters later, UST had runners on the corners with only one out, but could not capitalize, a theme that would plague the Tommies for the remainder of the afternoon.
Gustavus threatened in the top of the second and the fifth, leaving two on base in each inning before the Tommies did much of the same in the bottom of the fifth. Again, St. Thomas had runners on the corners but could not bring one across and the game remained scoreless.
UST threatened again in the bottom of the sixth, as the Tommie women had runners on first and second to lead off the inning. But they went down in order to end the inning and extinguish another scoring chance, leaving two stranded.
Even with scoring chances, the two teams held strong defensively behind the pitching of UST's Kendra Bowe and Gustavus's Hannah Heacox as they went to extra innings in a scoreless tie.
Gustavus took advantage of its first chance in the extra frame, scoring two runs to break open the first lead of the game. The inning started with a St. Thomas error that allowed the Gustavus leadoff hitter to reach. A sacrifice bunt and a single to left advanced the runner to third to put runners on the corners with only one out when Paige Breneman singled to left, to bring in the first run of the game. Two batters later, Jena Willis added to the lead with an RBI single to left.
Megan Dupuis walked in the bottom of the eighth, but the damage had been done, as the walk would be all the Tommies would get in their final at-bat.
For the game, the Tommies recorded just four hits compared to 10 for the Gusties. Gustavus also left 10 runners on base to UST's seven.
In the circle, both pitchers excelled, as Tommie Kendra Bowe was tagged with the loss after going six and two-thirds innings, allowing nine hits and two runs with five strikeouts. Gustavus's Hannah Heacox tallied with win in a complete game shutout with six strikeouts.
At the plate, Megan Dupuis was 2-for-2 to lead the way for the Tommies. McKenzie Wergin and Micaela Trainor were the only other two batters to record a hit.
Game 2 – St. Thomas 3, Gustavus 5
The second game of Tuesday's doubleheader began much in the same fashion as the first: scoreless through five innings of play. The only real scoring threat in the first five innings came from Gustavus in the top of the third inning. The Gusties found themselves with runners on second and third, but could not capitalize.
Gustavus was the first to get on the scoreboard again in the second game, this time in the top of the sixth. Again, a St. Thomas error turned into a run when Kaitlyn Bicek nailed an RBI double to left center. Two batters later, Paige Breneman drove in another run with a single to give her team a 2-0 lead headed to the final inning.
With their backs against the wall once more in the bottom of the seventh, the Tommies found themselves facing defeat. However, this time, they responded with two runs of their own to send the game into extra innings. After Brooke Pantila led off with a single and Annie Boyer reached on an error to follow, Danielle Tschann came up with a big two-run single to tie the game.
With the go-ahead run on base and still no outs, UST threatened again. Micaela Trainor followed the single with a single of her own to move Danielle Wigen, who pinch ran for Tschann up to third and put runners on first and third with nobody out. However, a strikeout and a double play erased any momentum the Tommies had mustered, as the two teams went to extra innings.
Neither team was able to score until the 10th inning. Per NCAA rules, after nine innings, a base runner is placed on second base to start each half inning. The Gusties took advantage of this perk in their first at-bat, as they scored three runs in the top of the 10th thanks to a double and a pair of singles, all of which produced runs to give them a 5-2 lead.
St. Thomas was able to get one back in the bottom half of the inning, but it was all the Tommies would get in the 5-3 loss.
UST was outhit again in the game, this time by a count of 10-7. McKenzie Wergin led the way with a 2-for-4 day at the dish, while Danielle Tschann tallied both runs batted in.
After Morgan Murphy started the game on the rubber and pitched four scoreless innings allowing just three hits, three more Tommies tag-teamed the relief duty through the final six innings. Bowe was eventually tagged with the loss after allowing three hits and three runs in two and a third innings of work.
St. Thomas, who now ranks fourth in the MIAC stadings, will next host Carleton on Thursday, April 16th for a doubleheader beginning at 3:30 at South Field.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: H. Heacox (7-3)
L: Bowe, Kendra (11-3)
Batting:
2B: S. Nosan 1 ; J. Willis 1
RBI: P. Breneman 1 ; J. Willis 1
SH: K. Morgan 2 ; P. Breneman 1
Base Running:
RUNS: C. Klass 1 ; Rentschler 1
CS: Strandmark 1
Batting:
2B: Dupuis, Megan 1
Base Running:
SB: Trainor, Micaela 1
CS: Peterson, Bianca 1
