MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Carleton College softball team closed the 2024 campaign with a pair of victories at Concordia College-Moorhead, prevailing 7-0 and 9-2.
Rachel Block and
Sydney Trentman both tossed complete games in the circle, and both
Bryanna Schaffer and
Grace Colburn collected a team-high five hits on the day.
Game 1 Recap
Block improved to 8-9 on the season as she registered her third shutout of the year, limiting the Cobbers (5-33, 0-22 MIAC) to only one hit over the first five innings. She finished with four strikeouts while allowing a walk and six hits.
Carleton (15-21, 6-16 MIAC) opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the second inning. Colburn singled and one out later, walks to
Ella Collins and
Amy Chen loaded the bases.
Esme Song followed with a RBI groundout, and
Megan Smith added a run-scoring single to center.
The Knights pushed three more runs across in the sixth. Colburn and
Reagan Wills had RBI singles, and Song drew a bases-load walk to force home the other run.
The seventh inning saw the Knights tacked on two more insurance tallies. An error, a single, and a walk loaded the bases in front of Wills, who delivered a two-run single to centerfield.
Bryanna Schaffer, Colburn, and Wills had two hits apiece to pace the visitors. Six different players had hits for the Cobbers.
Mallory Leitner took the loss for Concordia, surrendering five runs (three earned) over 5.1 innings.
Game 2 Recap
Colburn was 4-for-5 with two RBI, Schaffer went 3-for-4 with three RBI, and both Song and
Helen Moses also collected three hits as Carleton collected 14 base knocks in the contest.
Trentman (6-11) made it stand up as she registered nine strikeouts while allowing only two hits on seven hits and five walks. Seven of the first nine outs she recorded came via strikeouts.
The Knights scored twice in the second, third, fourth, and fifth frames before capping the day with a run in the seventh.
In the second, Schaffer led off with a double, Colburn singled, and Wills walked to load the bases.
Livi Peters' sacrifice fly brought home the first run, and after a fielder's choice, Song singled to right center to chase home Wills with the other tally.
Adriana Wiggins walked with one down in the third, and Schaffer doubled her home. Colburn singled down the right field line, plating Schaffer and giving the Knights a 4-0 advantage. The Cobbers finally scored their first run of the day in the bottom of the inning, utilizing a walk and two singles.
Schaffer struck again in the fourth, delivering a two-run single to left field allowing Song and Smith to sprint home.
The fifth inning saw Carleton's fourth consecutive multi-run rally. Peters walked with one down, and Song doubled one out later to put two runners in scoring position. Smith stroked a two-run single into the left-center gap, widening the Carleton advantage to 8-1.
Colburn's fourth hit of the game was a RBI single in the seventh. Concordia's hope for a last-inning comeback netted only one run.
