CLERMONT, Fla. – The Carleton College softball team dropped a pair of close games on Monday, falling 2-0 to Wesleyan University and 7-4 to Luther College.
 
Wesleyan (Conn.) 2, Carleton 0
The Knights (6-4) were limited to only three hits in the game, two singles by Adriana Wiggins and a triple from Bryanna Schaffer. Carleton was unable to string together a rally as the squad went a combined 0-for-6 with runners on base.
 
Rachel Block kept the Cardinals (6-5) in check most of the contest as well, yielding two runs (one earned) on five hits in complete-game effort. Wesleyan scratched out a run in the second inning with a hit batter, groundout, and RBI double. The other tally came in the fourth when a two-out double was followed by consecutive fielding errors.
 
Luther 7, Carleton 4
The Knights erased an early 2-0 deficit, then carried a 3-2 advantage into the sixth inning before the Norse (6-4) put together a five-run game-changing rally. Carleton scored once in the bottom of the seventh and had the tying runs on base with only one out, but Luther wriggled out of the jam to secure the victory.
 
The first four batters of the game reached base for Luther, resulting in a pair of early runs. Carleton starting pitcher Sydney Trentmen settled in and faced one over the minimum over the next three innings. She escaped a second and third, one out jam in the fifth but was not as fortunate in the sixth inning.
 
Schaffer scored Carleton's first run in the bottom of the fourth, when she reached on an error, stole second, and raced home on Reagan Wills' two-out single to left field.
 
Centerfielder Megan Smith had two of the Knights' eight hits in the game, including a two-out RBI triple in the fifth inning. Schaffer followed with a run-scoring single to give Carleton a 3-2 lead.
 
Unfortunately, that advantage did not last long as the Norse batted around during a five-run top of the sixth.
 
The Knights looked to rally in their final turn at bat. Amy Chen and Block opened the stanza with back-to-back singles. Smith reached base on an error that loaded the bases. Schaffer followed with a sacrifice fly, and Wiggins drew a walk.
 
Luther hurler Olivia Engler was able to record a strikeout and a groundout to extinguish the rally.
 
"It was great to see our bats come alive this afternoon," said Carleton head coach Amy Erickson. "We are using each game to gain more experience, refine our skills, and get better and better each game."
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will enjoy a break from competition on Tuesday before returning to action on Wednesday, March 20 with games against Elmhurst College (9:00 a.m. EDT / 8:00 a.m. CDT) and Bowdoin College (11:30 a.m. EDT / 10:30 a.m. CDT)