ROCHESTER, Minn.  – The Luther College softball team must be feeling pretty good. The Norse are officially 7-1 to start the 2023 season after earning a Sunday sweep over St. Olaf College and Grinnell College. Of course, Luther experienced two very different wins Sunday afternoon, as the Norse needed extra innings to earn a 3-2 win over the Oles. The team then upended Pioneers in five, exploding for 12 runs on 11 hits in the 12-1 victory. 

GAME ONE: LUTHER (3) vs. ST. OLAF (2) - 8 INNINGS
Luther had its work cut out for them in game one, as St. Olaf took a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. However, the Norse answered with a perfect response, scoring two runs in the top of the third for a 2-1 lead. Anna Forari (Bettendorf, Iowa / Bettendorf) started the rally, hitting a single to right field to give Luther a runner on first with one out. Back-to-back walks later, Riley Sauser (Ely, Iowa / Cedar Rapids Prairie) delivered a huge RBI double, scoring pinch runners Teagan Hansen (Plainview, Minn. / Plainview-Elgin-Millville) and Chloe Wagner (Blair, Wis. / Blair-Taylor) to make it 2-1 Norse in the top of the third. 

Kendra Cooper (Lansing, Iowa / Kee) responded to Luther's rally in kind, striking out the side in the bottom of the third to preserve the Norse lead. However, the fifth year ace found herself in a jam in the bottom of the fifth. After surrendering a leadoff double, Cooper found herself with a one run lead and runner on third with just one out. The veteran handled it with poise, getting back-to-back ground outs to end the Ole threat. 

While the Norse managed to put runners on base, they were never able to score or extend their one run lead. Meanwhile, St. Olaf continued to threaten, again putting its leadoff runner on base in the bottom of the sixth. Again, Cooper took care of business, striking out the two and three batters before Abby Spore (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy) gunned the runner down at second to end the sixth inning. 

Luther again put a runner on first to open the seventh inning, and again, the Norse were unable to add to their 2-1 lead. That left Cooper and Co with the task of preserving the one run lead in the bottom of the seventh. The inning started off well, as Cooper tallied her ninth strikeout of the game for out number one before surrendering a one out single to St. Olaf's No. 5 hitter. This time, Luther was unable to get out of the jam, as the Oles tied the game at 2-2 on a single by Andy Conway. 

Extra innings was once again kind to the Norse, as they went ahead and scored the go-ahead run three batters into the extra inning. Sauser started at second and advanced to third on a single by Katie Brennan (Lansing, Iowa / Kee). The sophomore first baseman then scored on a fielder's choice from Lara Welter (Eden Prairie, Minn. / Eden Prairie), securing the 3-2 lead for Luther entering the bottom of the eighth. Cooper then took are of business, striking out St. Olaf's No. 9 and No. 1 batter before Maya Patty came to the plate. The Oles shortstop worked the count to 1-2 before launching a ball to deep left center to seemingly score the game-tying run. Leah Crown (Plato, Minn. / Central) had other plans, as the senior made a diving catch into the fence to clinch the Norse 3-2 victory. 

GAME TWO: LUTHER (12) vs. GRINNELL (1) - 5 INNINGS
Unlike game one, Luther scored first in game two, as Hansen took advantage of Grinnell's lollygagging offense to give the Norse a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Luther then proceeded to bust things open in the third, as the Norse scored five runs on five hits to go up 6-0 after three. Spore sparked Luther's scoring efforts with a two-run double before Belle Berg (Chatfield, Minn. / Chatfield) poked a single through the right side to make it 4-0 Norse with zero outs on the board. The team would go on to score two more runs in the ensuing batters, as Alison Martinez (Brighton Colo. / Brighton) well struck ball to the second baseman resulted in a 6-0 lead for Luther. 

Grinnell responded by scoring a run of its own in the top of the fourth inning, cutting the lead to 6-1, but the Norse responded with another offensive barrage. Luther went up 12-1 in the bottom of the fourth, scoring six runs on four hits, including a home run from Spore and doubles by Berg and Sydney Schultz (Raymond, Iowa / Columbus Catholic). 

Kenedy Sandoval (Aurora, Colo. / Smokey Hills) pitched a zero run fifth inning, ending the game with a strikeout to clinch the 12-1 victory. 

TOP NORSE

• Anna Forari (Bettendorf, Iowa / Bettendorf) and Katie Brennan (Lansing, Iowa / Kee) both tallied two hits in Luther's 3-2 win over St. Olaf. Forari went 2-3 while Brennan was 2-4. 
• Kendra Cooper (Lansing, Iowa / Kee) improved to 4-0 on the season, pitching all eight innings in the 3-2 win over the Oles. The fifth year senior surrendered just two runs on seven hits with 12 strikeouts in eight complete innings of work. She additionally did not walk a single batter. 
• Belle Berg (Chatfield, Minn. / Chatfield) went 3-3 at the plate in Luther's big win over Grinnell with one run and a RBI. Abby Spore was 2-3 with a double, home run and four RBI, while Sydney Schultz (Raymond, Iowa / Columbus Catholic) and Ken Vavrichek (Bloomington, Minn. / The Blake School) both tallied two hits against the Pioneers. 
• Olivia Engler (Atlantic, Iowa / Atlantic) earned her first win in a Norse uniform, pitching four near flawless innings in the circle against Grinnell. 

UP NEXT
Luther will be in a slightly different climate in its next few games, as the Norse are set to compete in the Spring Games in Claremont and Polk County, Florida. Luther will open its spring break trip on Saturday, March 18 when the team faces St. Lawrence University and The College of Wooster. First pitch of the nonconference doubleheader is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. CT in Polk County, Florida.