ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Luther softball team was swept by the University of Northwestern St. Paul 2-0 and 8-7 in eight innings in final non-conference series of the season. The Norse are now 19-15 overall.
Game 1: Luther 0, Northwestern 2
The Eagles pitcher Ireland Strubbe threw a no hitter while striking out 10 Norse batters in 23 faced. Northwestern scored on a wild pitch in the second inning and Bryn Anderson hit a solo homerun to defeat Luther in the first game of the series.
Game 2: Luther 7, Northwestern 8 (8 innings)
The Norse scored seven runs on nine hits with three runs in the first, one in the third and three in the fourth. In the third, Luther had a 4-1 lead before Northwestern (MN) piled on five runs to take over the lead. The Norse answered back in the top of the fourth with three runs on three hits with singles from
Rose Weber,
Mya Larsen and
Madi Urfer. In the bottom of the inning the Eagles tied the game at 7-7. The next three innings were scoreless forcing the game into extra innings. Northwestern (MN) defense faced three batters before their lead-off hitter in the bottom of the eighth hit the game winning homerun.
Raven Allen was 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs and one rbi. Nehring led the team with two rbi.
Madi Urfer is now the new single season record holder for hit by pitch in a single season. She surpassed Anna Strien (15, 2018) with her total of 17. Luther also set the team single season hit by pitch record with 44 replacing the 2015 record of 43.
The Norse play again on Wednesday, April 29 at no. 23 nationally ranked Wartburg College. First pitch is at 3 p.m. in Waverly, Iowa.
