DECORAH, IOWA  – Overall, it was a very good Friday for the Luther College softball team. After 21 days between their last home doubleheader on April 7, the Norse made their grand return to Betty A. Hoff Field and Decorah, Iowa, and it was a glorious return. Luther returned to its winning ways Friday afternoon, earning a key sweep of Simpson College on its home field. The Norse took game one 4-0 behind Kendra Cooper's (Lansing, Iowa / Kee) seventh complete game shutout of 2023 before claiming game two 5-1. With the sweep, Luther is now 26-6 overall and the Norse are 7-3 in American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) play. 

GAME ONE: (RV)  LUTHER (4) vs. SIMPSON (0)
It took Luther one trip through the batting order to figure out Simpson's starting pitcher Makayla Bryant in game one, but once the team figured her out, there was no turning back. After two and a half scoreless innings, the Norse scored their first run of the game in the bottom of the third, as a hard hit grounder by Belle Berg (Chatfield, Minn. / Chatfield) scored Raven Allen (Birmingham, Ala. / McAdory) from second to give Luther a 1-0 advantage. That was a mere preview for what was to come. Anna Forari (Bettendorf, Iowa / Bettendorf) and Abby Spore (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy) brought the power in the bottom of the fourth, as Forari opened the inning with a leadoff double, hitting the ball off the top of the left field fence. That wasn't even the biggest hit of the inning for the Norse. After Forari's double, Spore took Bryant's 3-1 pitch and launched it over the center field fence, extending the team's lead to 3-0 and hitting her sixth home run of the season.

Down 3-0, the Storm looked to weather the events of the fourth inning by putting in a new pitcher, but Luther struck again. This time, it was back-to-back hits from Leah Crown (Plato, Minn. / Central) and Riley Sauser (Ely, Iowa / Cedar Rapids Prairie) that led to a 4-0 Norse lead after four. That lead was good enough for Kendra Cooper (Lansing, Iowa / Kee), who earned her 14th win of the season with yet another complete game shutout. It wasn't total dominance for the fifth year ace, though. Cooper experienced stormy waters early in the game, as walks and errors gave Simpson early base runners in the second and third innings. The fifth year senior, though, weathered the Storm, getting a huge out at home plate in the top of the third, as Allen gunned down the runner at home to preserve the early 0-0 tie. 

The fifth, sixth and seventh innings weren't nearly as harrowing as the first four, as Cooper settled into the circle nicely. After a rough start, the fifth year allowed just two runners to reach base in the final three innings, including the top of the seventh. The two out infield single, though, was no conference for the Norse, as Katie Brennan (Lansing, Iowa / Kee) recorded the final out of the game to secure the 4-0 victory for Luther. 

GAME TWO:  (RV) LUTHER (5) vs. SIMPSON (1)
With the weather turning and the sun hiding behind the clouds, it looked like things would take a turn in game two, as the Norse tried to outrun the Storm on multiple fronts. Simpson, meanwhile, was on the hunt, as Cooper started game two for the first time in A-R-C play. The first two batters jumped on the first two pitches, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Cooper, though, remained composed and calm, striking out the Storm's three, four and five batters to pitch her way out of a jam to open game two. 

With dramatics already running high, Luther looked to open the scoring early in game two. However, it would be Simpson that eventually scored the first run of the ball game. After pitching nearly 11 scoreless innings, Cooper finally surrendered a run, as the Storm went up 1-0 in the top of the fourth on a two-out single by the seven batter. However, the Norse responded in the best way possible, scoring five runs on four hits in the bottom of the fourth to gain a 5-1 advantage. Spore and Crown ignited Luther's big inning, as the duo opened the inning with a hit and error to put runners on first and second with no outs. They then advanced to second and third on a groundout to second base, giving Allen the chance to play hero. The first year delivered, slicing a single down the right field like to score both Allison Martinez (Brighton, Colo. / Brighton) and Crown and give the Norse a 2-1 advantage. 

Those weren't the only two runs Luther would score in the bottom of the fourth, as the Norse went on to score three more runs, courtesy of RBI's from Jerrianne Dannenmueller (Osceola, Wis. / Osceola), Berg and Bettendorf. With a 5-1 cushion, head coach Renae Hartl felt comfortable taking Cooper out of the game, replacing her with Olivia Engler (Atlantic, Iowa / Atlantic). The sophomore held Simpson at bay through the top of the seventh inning, when things again started to get hairy. With a light drizzle threatening on the horizon, Engler got the Storm eight hitter to line out to the pitcher, before giving up back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second with one out. A strikeout seemingly swung the momentum back in Luther's direction before a full count walk loaded the bases with a clean up batter at the plate. 

After a marathon at bat, Engler showed poise in the circle, clenching her second save of 2023 with a pop out to the first baseman and securing the 5-1 win for the Norse. 

TOP NORSE

• Abby Spore (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Kennedy) provided the fireworks in game one, going 1-3 at the plate with a home run and two RBI before going 2-4 in game two. Raven Allen (Birmingham, Ala. / McAdory) also impressed at the plate against Simpson, going 2-5 over the course of two games with two runs and two RBI. 
• Kendra Cooper (Lansing, Iowa / Kee) improved to 15-3 this season and eclipsed the 450 strikeout mark Friday afternoon, as she was the pitcher of record in both games. The fifth year senior pitched her 14th complete game of 2023, striking out six and allowing just three hits in a 4-0 shutout of Simpson. Then, in game two, Cooper allowed just one run on five hits in four innings of work, tallying five strikeouts, all with runners in scoring position. Thanks to her combined 11 strikeouts, Cooper now has 456 total in her career.
• Olivia Engler (Atlantic, Iowa / Atlantic) earned her second save of 2023, as she held the Storm to six hits and tallied four strikeouts in three innings of work. 

UP NEXT
The schedule isn't getting easier for the Norse, as they are set to host the University of Dubuque on Sunday, April 30. Should the weather cooperate, first pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Betty A. Hoff field in Decorah, Iowa. All updated will be posted to the team's social media accounts and luthernorse.com.