WINONA, Minn. – One day after a quiet start to the conference schedule, the Carleton College softball team bounced back with a road sweep of Saint Mary's University, topping the Cardinals 3-2 (9 innings) and 6-2.
Logan Robinson (Sr./Alexandria, Va./National Cathedral School) and
Ally Norton (So./Norfolk, Mass./King Philip Regional) both turned in complete-game efforts from the pitching circle.
"It was a beautiful day to get to play some softball," said Carleton head coach
Amy Erickson. "After the long break, it was nice to get our groove back. Both Logan and Ally threw great games, and some timely hitting got us back in the win column."
Game 1 Recap
Trina Eichel's (Sr./Alameda, Calif./Alameda) two-out double chased home
Emma Kartheiser (Jr./Oronoco, Minn./Century) in the top of the second, but Saint Mary's (10-7, 3-3 MIAC) tied the game up with a two-out run of its own in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The score remained 1-1 until the top of the ninth.
Cassie Cunniff (Jr./Mt. Prospect, Ill./Prospect) singled and a double by
Madison Collins (Sr./Elmhurst, Ill./York) put two runners in scoring position with one out.
Ella Collins (Fy./Ashburn, Va./Riverside) singled through the right side, scoring two runs.
A double and an error led to one Saint Mary's run in the bottom of the inning, but Robinson closed out the game for her sixth win of the season.
Robinson yielded seven hits in her career-high 9.0-inning performance, allowing two runs (only one earned) with two walks and five strikeouts.
Game 2 Recap
Carleton had runners aboard in each inning and collected a dozen hits in the game, including two apiece for Cunniff,
Brooke McKelvey (Sr./West Linn, Ore./West Linn),
Madison Collins,
Laurie Avila (Jr./Sugar Grove, Ill./Oswego), and Kartheiser.
The Knights pushed across two-out runs in the first and third frames. A RBi double by
Bryanna Schaffer (Fy./San Diego, Calif./Mar Vista)—the lone extra-base hit for Carleton in the contest—extended the lead to 4-1 in the fourth inning. Avila's sacrifice fly brought home another un in the fifth, and Kartheiser added a RBI groundout in the seventh.
Meanwhile, Norton walked the tightrope all game, stranding seven runners in scoring position a she improved to 4-0 on the year and 9-1 in her career.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will play its third road doubleheader in as many days as the Knights visit Hamline University for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch on Sunday, April 11.
