DUNDAS, Minn. – The Carleton College softball team opened its conference slate by splitting a doubleheader against Saint Mary's University on Saturday. The Knights rallied to take game one, 9-7, but dropped game two, 2-0.
Hala Soliman (Sr./Harrisburg, N.C./Lake Norman Charter) went the distance to pick up the victory in the opener.
Game 1 Recap
Carleton 9, Saint Mary's 7
Playing for the first time in two weeks, the Knights (10-8, 1-1 MIAC) trailed 6-1 midway through the third inning but came all the way back to win their conference lid-lifter.
Each player in the Carleton starting lineup had at least one hit, including multi-hit performances for
Cassie Cunniff (Sr./Mt. Prospect, Ill./Prospect),
Bryanna Schaffer (So./San Diego, Calif./Mar Vista),
Adriana Wiggins (Fy./Long Beach, Calif./Wilson), and
Emma Kartheiser (Sr./Oronoco, Minn./Century).
After Saint Mary's (9-11, 3-3 MIAC) scored six times in the top of the third inning, Wiggins singled home a run in the bottom of the stanza and Cunniff added a two-run double in the fourth to bring Carleton within 6-4.
The Cardinals added a run in the top of the fifth, but the Knights responded with a five-run rally in the bottom of the frame.
Amy Chen (Jr./Kirkland, Wash./Lake Washington) and
Nikki Marsh (Sr./Salem, Conn./East Lyme) had RBI singles. Saint Mary's committed a pair of costly two-out errors to allow the final three Carleton runs to score.
Soliman improved to 5-1 on the season after permitting five earned runs on eight hits and two walks with three strikeouts during her 7.0 innings of work.
Game 2 Recap
Saint Mary's 2, Carleton 0
After the teams combined for 21 hits (including 12 doubles) and 16 runs in the opener, the offenses suddenly struggled in game two as the teams had only 11 total hits, including only one extra-base knock.
Both sides had a runner thrown out at the plate in the early innings, and the game remained scoreless until Abbie Stigler homered with one out in the top of the fifth. The Cardinals added an unearned tally in the seventh.
Cunniff, Chen,
Laurie Avila (Sr./Sugar Grove, Ill./Oswego),
Grace Colburn (Fy./Bainbridge Island, Wash./Bainbridge), and
Helen Moses (Jr./Denver, Colo./Denver East) had singles for the Knights.
Faith Hanshaw (Sr./The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands Christian Academy) was saddled with the loss despite yielding only one earned run over her 7.0 innings on the rubber.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton hopes to host its first on-campus games this season when Hamline University is slated to visit Ele Hansen Field for a 3:30 p.m. doubleheader on Tuesday, April 11.
