LINCOLN, NEB. – The Luther College softball team is back to its winning ways. The Norse rallied twice to win two crucial American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) games at Nebraska-Wesleyan, defeating the Prairie Wolves 4-3 in game on and 3-2 in game two. With a pair of wins, Luther improves to 24-4 overall with a 5-1 mark in A-R-C play.
GAME ONE: #24 LUTHER (4) vs. NEBRASKA-WESLEYAN (3)
The drama was at an all time high in game one between the Norse and Prairie Wolves, as neither team led by more than a run through the entire seven innings. Early on, it looked like Luther was destined to cruise to an easy victory, as the Norse took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Belle Berg (Chatfield, Minn. / Chatfield) scored the first run of the game on an RBI single from Leah Crown (Plato, Minn. / Central) to give Luther the early advantage.
The Norse bats went quiet, though, after the first inning of play, as they were unable to add to their early lead. Kendra Cooper (Lansing, Iowa / Kee) held the Nebraska-Wesleyan batters at bay through the bottom of the fourth before the Prairie Wolves managed to crack the fifth year senior. After drawing a two out walk, Nebraska-Wesleyan managed to tie the game at 1-1, but Luther answered by scoring a run of its own to regain a 2-1 advantage.
The Prairie Wolves, though, responded in kind, scoring two runs in the bottom of the sixth for a 3-2 lead. In order to avoid a two game losing streak, the Norse needed to score at least one run in the top of the seventh to send it to extras. They went ahead and scored two, thanks in large part to a lead off single from Raven Allen (Birmingham, Ala. / McAdory). After struggling to reach base in her previous at bats, the first year poked a ball into the outfield to put a runner on first before advancing to second on a bloop single from Berg.
With runners on first and second with no outs, Anna Forari (Bettendorf, Iowa / Bettendorf) stepped to the plate. The senior delivered the biggest hit of the game, lacing a single to the outfield to score Allen from third, evening the score at 3-3. With Berg on second and Forari on first, Nebraska-Wesleyan decided to pitch to catcher Abby Spore (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy), who made the Prairie Wolves pay for their choice. The junior sent the ball straight back to the pitcher, allowing Berg and Forari to move up a base. However, rather than hold the ball after fielding, the Nebraska-Wesleyan pitcher panicky threw it behind the first baseman, and Berg took advantage, scoring on the error to give Luther a 4-3 lead.
That single run was all Cooper needed to earn her 13th win of the 2023 season. After efficiently getting the first two batters out, Cooper took matters into her own hands for out number three, recording her 10th strikeout of the afternoon to secure the 4-3 win for the Norse.
GAME TWO: #24 LUTHER (3) vs. NEBRASKA-WESLEYAN (2)
Luther walked away with another close victory in game two, using yet another late rally to defeat the Prairie Wolves 3-2. After scoring the first run of the game in the top of the first, Nebraska-Wesleyan scored two off Olivia Engler (Atlantic, Iowa / Atlantic) in the bottom of inning to gain a 2-1 lead. That score held until the top of the third, when Spore scored on a single by Chloe Wagner (Blair, Wis. / Blair-Taylor) to tie the game at 2-2.
Engler held the Prairie Wolves offense at bay in the third and fourth innings, allowing the Norse to take their first lead of game two in the top of the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out, Wagner again came up with the clutch plate appearance, this time via hit by pitch. The first year outfielder was plunked by Nebraska-Wesleyan's Rylee Pangborn and walked to first while Spore walked home to give Luther a 3-2 lead.
That single run was all Engler and Sam Thompson (West Salem, Wis. / West Salem) needed to hold the Prairie Wolves at bay. With a one run lead, Thompson entered the game in relief in the bottom of the fifth and pitched three flawless innings in the circle. The senior surrendered just one hit over the course of the fifth, sixth and seventh innings before securing Luther's 24th win of the season with a strikeout.
TOP NORSE
- Belle Berg (Chatfield, Minn. / Chatfield), Abby Spore (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy) and Leah Crown (Plato, Minn. / Central) all went 2-4 at the plate in the Norse 4-3 win over Nebraska-Wesleyan in game one. Spore also went 3-3 at the plate in game two, while Chloe Wagner (Blair, Wis. / Blair-Taylor) went 1-2 with two RBI.
- Kendra Cooper (Lansing, Iowa / Kee) picked up her 13th win of the 2023 season thanks to a complete game effort. The fifth year senior tallied 10 strikeouts and surrendered just three runs on six hits in seven innings of work.
- Olivia Engler (Atlantic, Iowa / Atlantic) improved to 3-1 this season, while Sam Thompson (West Salem, Wis. / West Salem) picked up her first save of 2023.
UP NEXT
Should Mother Nature cooperate, Luther is scheduled to host the University of Dubuque on Wednesday, April 19. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. in Decorah, Iowa, and all schedule changes will be announced on the team's social media accounts and on luthernorse.com.
