POLK COUNTY, FLA.  – The Luther College softball team is the big bad wolf of the Spring Games. The Norse are mowing down opponents left and right and took down two more in their penultimate day in Florida. Luther opened the day with a 9-2 drubbing of Elmhurst University before upending Gustavus Adolphus College for the second time this season 3-0. With the wins, the Norse are now 16-2 this season and riding a seven game win streak entering their final games in Florida. 

GAME ONE: LUTHER (9) vs. ELMHURST (2) 
Luther started scoring against the Bluejays early and often, as Belle Berg's (Chatfield, Minn. / Chatfield) fourth home run of the season gave the Norse a 2-0 lead in the top of the second. However, Luther wasn't satisfied with two runs on a single hit, as the team took advantage of a handful of Elmhurst errors to extend its lead in the third. Anna Forari (Bettendorf, Iowa / Bettendorf) scored on a long fly ball by Raven Allen (Birmingham, Ala. / McAdory) before the first year scored the fourth run of the game on Berg's RBI single, making it 4-0 after three. 

Sam Thompson (West Salem, Wis. / West Salem) did a fantastic job containing the Bluejay hitters, allowing the Norse to score two more runs in the sixth. This time it was Forari who provided the RBI hit, as her single to right center scored both Leah Crown (Plato, Minn. / Central) and Ken Vavrichek (Bloomington, Minn. / The Blake School), making it 6-0 Norse. The offensive explosion, though, came in the top of the sixth. Abby Spore (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy) jump started the inning with a solo home run to right field before Forari's two-run shot gave Luther a 9-0 lead after five and a half innings of play. 

Elmhurst managed to score two runs in the bottom of the sixth, staving off the early ending. However, it was the closest the Bluejays would come to catching the Norse, as Thompson pitched a near flawless seventh inning to secure the 9-2 victory for Luther. 

GAME TWO: LUTHER (3) vs. GUSTAVUS (0)
The second meeting between the Norse and Gusties went exceptionally well, as Luther shut out Gustavus for the second time this season. Fueled by Kendra Cooper's (Lansing, Iowa / Kee) one-hit wonder, the Norse shut down the Gusties offense, giving themselves plenty of time to take a lead. In fact, Cooper pitched four perfect innings before allowing her first base runner, while Luther's offense continued to threaten inning after inning. In the second inning, Sauser and Forari found themselves in scoring position, with no errors, but neither was able to score, as Gustavus ended the threat with three consecutive ground outs. 

The same was true for the third inning, as singles by Sydney Schultz (Raymond, Iowa / Columbus Catholic) and Vavricheck put runners on the corners with one out. Again, the Norse were unable to score, and when Luther was sent down in order in both the fourth and fifth innings, it seemed like the tides had turned against them. However, everything changed in the bottom of the sixth. With one swing, the Norse broke through the goose eggs. With two on and two out, Crown sent the ball to the next stratosphere, hitting a three-run homer to bolster Luther a 3-0 lead. That was all she wrote for the Gusties, as Cooper sent them down in order in the top of the seventh to secure victory for the Norse. 

TOP NORSE

• Belle Berg (Chatfield, Minn. / Chatfield) and Abby Spore (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy) both tallied three hits against the Blujays, with Berg going 3-4 with one run, one walk and three RBI. Spore was 3-5 with a home run, while Anna Forari (Bettendorf, Iowa / Bettendorf) led the way with a four RBI performance at the plate. 
• Sam Thompson (West Salem, Wis. / West Salem) picked up her sixth win of the season, as she surrendered just two runs on seven hits in seven innings of work. 
• Leah Crown (Plato, Minn. / Central) provided the boost of offense Luther needed to secure the 3-0 win over Gustauvus, as she belted a three-run home run and accounted for the only runs scored in the victory. 
• Kendra Cooper (Lansing, Iowa / Kee) earned her team-leading ninth win of the season in dominant fashion, shutting out the Gusties for the second time in 2023. The fifth year senior surrendered just one hit in seven innings of work and tallied five strikeouts in her ninth win of the season. 

UP NEXT
The Norse will play their final two spring break games on Friday, as they take on Old Westbury and Tufts Friday afternoon. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in Orlando, Florida.