POLK COUNTY, FLA.  – There were a lot of highlights during the Luther College softball team's trip to the sunshine state. The Norse earned 10 dominant wins in their trip to The Spring Games, as their offensive exploded to score 77 runs over the course of 12 games. The highlight of the trip, though, may have occurred Friday afternoon, as Izzy Staton (Urbandale, Iowa / Urbandale) did what few have done in Luther history: throw a no hitter. In her first game as a starting pitcher, the first year was one error away from a new hitter, guiding the Norse to a 16-0, five inning win over Old Westbury. Luther also squared off with #13 Tufts, falling in its final game of the trip 5-1. With the split, the Norse are now 16-3 overall, marking their best start to a full season since 2019.

GAME ONE: LUTHER (16) vs. OLD WESTBURY (0) - 5 INNINGS
Sure, Staton made headlines, but Luther's entire team put on a clinic in its 16-0 win over Old Westbury. The Norse outhit the Panthers 14-0 and recorded six hits in the first inning alone. Luther scored six runs in the first inning on six hits, which all started with a leadoff double by Belle Berg (Chatfield, Minn. / Chatfield). She would eventually score on a RBI single by Sydney Schultz (Raymond, Iowa / Columbus Catholic) to kick off a big offensive inning for the Norse. In fact, Schultz, Anna Forari (Bettendorf, Iowa / Bettendorf), Leah Crown (Plato, Minn. / Central) and Katie Brennan (Lansing, Iowa / Kee) all tallied RBI hits in the first inning, allowing Luther to bat around the order en route to its six run first inning. 

With a 6-0 lead and Staton pitching a flawless first inning, the Norse proved history can repeat itself, as they scored six more runs in the top of the second. With an abundance of hits and Panthers errors, Luther jumped ahead 12-0 as Ken Vavirchek (Bloomington, Minn. / The Blake School) and Berg joined in on the RBI fun. The Norse scoring barrage didn't stop there, however. After a scoreless third, an RBI double from Raven Allen (Birmingham, Ala. / McAdory) pushed the Luther lead to 14-0 before the Norse made it 16-0 in the top of the fifth on an RBI hit by pitch for Vavrichek. 

A 1-0 lead would have sufficed for Staton, who was an error away from pitching the first perfect game in many years. The first year earned her first victory of the year in style, allowing just one base runner in five complete innings of work. Staton also tallied three strikeouts in the win, including one on the final out of the game to secure the 16-0 win for the Norse. 

GAME TWO: LUTHER (1) vs. #13 TUFTS (5)
The Norse had a tall task ahead of them in game two, as they squared off against the Jumbos, who were ranked #13 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) poll. Things went relatively smoothly in the first two innings, as Kendra Cooper (Lansing, Iowa / Kee) kept red hot Tufts off the scoreboard. However, things derailed in the top of the third. Cooper plunked the first batter of the inning, then surrendered a single through the right side to put runners on first and second with no outs. 

Still, it looked like Cooper might pitch her way out of the jam, as she got the Jumbos three batter to seemingly hit a flyout to left field. Unfortunately, the Norse outfielders were unable to come up with the out, resulting in a 1-0 lead for Tufts. An error on the ensuing play resulted in a 2-0 Jumbo lead before the visitors scored their third run of the game one batter. 

Luther looked to rally in the bottom of the fourth, as Schultz recorded the first hit of the game with a single up the middle. The Norse were unable to bring the senior home, however, and trailed the Jumbos 3-0 after four innings of play. While Luther struggled to hit, Tufts added an insurance run in the top of the sixth to hold a 4-1 lead over the Norse. Still, Luther battled and eventually broke through in the bottom of the sixth. Singles by Berg and Abby Spore (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy) gave the Norse their best scoring opportunity of the game, as they sat on first and second with Sauser at the plate. The sophomore delivered the RBI single, scoring Berg from second to cut the Jumbos lead to 4-1. 

That was the closest Luther would come to catching its opponent. Tufts would score its lone earned run of the game in the top of the seventh, using a sacrifice fly to extend its lead to 5-1. The Norse were unable to come up with a seventh inning rally, falling by a final score of 5-1. 

TOP NORSE 

• Seven of Luther's nine starters recorded at least one hit against Old Westbury and every player reached base in the 16-0 drubbing. Leah Crown (Plato, Minn. / Central) and Abby Spore (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy) both went 2-2, while Crown also scored two runs and tallied two RBI. 
• Madi Urfer (Mounds View, Minn. / Irondale) and Delaney Martinez-Wilson (Mead, Colo. / Mead) both recorded the first hits of their collegiate career, while Ken Vavirchek (Bloomington, Minn. / The Blake School) tallied a career-high three RBI in the victory. 
• Belle Berg (Chatfield, Minn. / Chatfield) scored Luther's lone run against the Tufts, scoring on Riley Sauser's (Ely, Iowa / Cedar Rapids Prairie) RBI single in the bottom of the sixth. 
• Kendra Cooper (Lansing, Iowa / Kee) was the losing pitcher Friday afternoon despite only giving up one earned run in seven innings of work. The fifth year senior pitched her eighth complete game of the season, surrendering five runs, only one earned, on seven hits in 7.0 innings of work. She also tallied five strikeouts in the complete game effort.  

UP NEXT
After playing 12 games in seven days, the Norse will enjoy seven days off before returning to competition. In fact, Luther will open the month of April with a doubleheader at Cornell College. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in Mount Vernon, Iowa on Saturday, April 1.