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kendragustavus
Kylie Macziewski
Kendra Cooper (24) launches a strike against Gustavus Saturday evening.
3
Luther LCSB 4-1
5
Winner Macalester College MAC 4-2
Luther LCSB
4-1
3
Final
5
Macalester College MAC
4-2
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Luther LCSB 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 6 1
Macalester College MAC 0 0 1 0 4 0 X 5 6 1

W: Pistorius (3-2) L: Thompson, Sam (1-1)

0
Gust. Adolphus GAC 1-3
8
Winner Luther LCSB 4-0
Gust. Adolphus GAC
1-3
0
Final
8
Luther LCSB
4-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Gust. Adolphus GAC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1
Luther LCSB 1 0 0 0 0 7 8 9 1

W: Cooper, Kendra (3-0) L: Maizie Anderson (1-2)

Game Recap: Softball |

Luther earns Saturday split in Rochester

ROCHESTER, Minn.  – The Luther College softball team is thoroughly enjoying this start to the 2023 season. The Norse improved to 5-1 Saturday afternoon, earning a weekend split with Macalester College and Gustavus Adolphus College on the opening day of the Rochester Dome Games. Despite holding an early lead, Luther came up just short in its second consecutive game against the Scots, falling 5-3 after a late inning rally by Macalester. The Norse then rebounded in a big way, win a 8-0 drubbing of the Gusties. 

GAME ONE: LUTHER (3) vs. MACALESTER (5)
Luther wasted no time getting on the board, as senior center fielder Leah Crown (Plato, Minn. / Central) hit a two out double to deep right center, scoring Sydney Schultz (Raymond, Iowa / Columbus Catholic) and Belle Berg Chatfield) for an early 2-0 lead in the ame. The Norse tacked on another run in the third, this time courtesy of an RBI groundout by Ken Vavrichek (Bloomington, Minn. / The Blake School), making it 3-0 after two innings of play. Macalester, though, found some momentum in the later innings. After cutting the lead to 3-1 in the third, the Scots took a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth, scoring four runs on four hits, including a two-out home run. 

Luther put together rallies in the top of the sixth and seventh inning thanks to hits from Lara Welter (Eden Prairie, Minn. / Eden Prairie) and Abby Spore (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy). In the top of the sixth, Welter hit a one-out bloop single to give the Norse a key runner but was out at second on a fielder's choice the very next play. Still, Katie Brennan (Lansing, Iowa / Kee) was able to get into scoring position on a wild pitch from the Scots starting pitcher before being stranded on a fly out by Raven Allen (Birmingham, Ala. / McAdory) ended the inning. 

Still, Luther had one final inning to rally in the seventh with the top of the order due up at the plate. After a fly out for out number one, Spore hit a single and advanced to second on an error by the second baseman, giving the Norse yet another runner in scoring position with one out. Opting for speed, head coach Renae Hartl pinch ran Alison Martinez (Brighton, Colo. / Brighton), who eventually stole third during Berg's at bat. Unfortunately, the first year speedster was stranded at third, as Berg flew out to right field to end both the inning and the game. 

GAME TWO: LUTHER (8) vs. GUSTAVUS (0)
Like in game one, Luther got off to a hot start, as the Norse found themselves up 1-0 after one inning of play. This time it was Riley Sauser (Ely, Iowa / Cedar Rapids Prairie) who gave Luther its early lead, as her ground rule double scored Crown from first to make it 1-0 after one. Defensively, the Norse and ace Kendra Cooper (Lansing, Iowa / Kee) found themselves in trouble in the top of the second, as the Gusties managed to load the bases, drawing back-to-back-to-back walks. Cooper, though, was solid in the circle, striking out Kayla Herda to end the Gustavus threat. 

Luther looked like it was set to give Cooper some back up runs in the bottom of the third, as a lead off single from Crown and walk by Berg put runners on the corners with two outs. The Gusties managed to keep the Norse at bay, as Sauser's deep fly ball hit the dome for the third out of the inning. The bottom of the fourth was much of the same, despite Luther's best attempts to put a two out rally together. After Brennan, Vavrichek and Crown all reached to load the bases, Anna Forari's (Bettendorf, Iowa / Bettendorf) hope for a bloop single fell into the glove of Gustavus' second baseman, preserving the 1-0 score after four. 

All was quiet in the fifth, but the Norse busted it open in the sixth, scoring seven runs on four hits to clinch the 8-0 victory. However, the offensive inning didn't start with a hit. First year outfielder Allen reached on a throwing error by the third baseman and would later score the second run of the game on a wild pitch. That was the last run the Norse scored without putting a ball in play, as Crown, Spore and Sauser all recorded RBI hits to make it 7-0 with one out. Spore's three-run homer proved to be the highlight of the inning, making it 6-0, before a double from Sauser and a sacrifice fly from Schultz secured the 8-0 win for Luther. 

TOP NORSE

  • Leah Crown (Plato, Minn. / Central) was the top hitter for the Norse on Saturday, going 3-4 at the plate with three walks, three RBI and two runs in two games. 
  • Abby Spore (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy) and Riley Sauser (Ely, Iowa / Cedar Rapids Prairie) both went 2-4 at the plate in the win over Gustavus, accounting for five RBI in the 8-0 victory.
  • Kendra Cooper (Lansing, Iowa / Kee) improved to 3-0 and pitched her first complete game shutout of the 2023 season. The fifth year senior pitched 6.0 flawless innings in the circle, holding the Gusties to just three hits while tallying 10 strikeouts in the complete game effort. 
  • Sam Thompson (West Salem, Wis. / West Salem) suffered her first loss to 2023, falling to 2-1 on the season.

UP NEXT
Luther will face two new opponents on day two of the Rochester Dome Tournament, as the Norse are set to face St. Olaf and Grinnell at 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. in Rochester, Minnesota. 

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