The Gustie Women’s Softball team ended a successful and busy weekend in Rochester which consisted of doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday. After they lost the first game on Friday to UW-Eau Claire, the Gusties found their stride and won three games in a row, bringing their record to 5-1 on the season.
In their first game of the weekend, the Gusties faced No. 14 ranked Blugolds of UW-Eau Claire. Gustavus came within one run in the third inning with a score of 1-2 after Senior Hannah Heacox singled, and scored on an RBI double from First-year Aly Freeman. However, Eau Claire was able to build momentum and tallied six runs in their next inning at-bat. The final score was 1-9 after five innings when the run rule was called. “We struggled game one, on the mound, at the plate and in our all around energy,” Head Coach Britt Stewart said. “Eau Claire’s pitcher pitched a great game, and we didn’t make adjustments. They were able to execute with runners on and make the plays.”
Although the first game was somewhat disappointing for the team, the Gusties showed great resilience as they bounced back to take a nailbiter in game two of Friday’s doubleheader against the University of Dubuque. Freeman started the game on the mound, and Stewart was pleased with her debut performance. “Game two was a different level of energy, more selective hitting, and a solid first career pitching performance by freshman Aly Freeman,” Stewart said.
“They are able to bounce back after facing adversity, which as a coach you love to see.” — Coach Stewart
With the game tied 5-5 in the fifth inning, Heacox came into the game as a relief pitcher and was exceptional as the game went into extra innings. It was finally decided in the bottom of the eighth, when Heacox scored the game winning run off of an RBI single from Sophomore Ashley Beise. “Hannah Heacox bounced back from game one and was able to close game two,” Stewart said. “Our hitting came together and we were able to execute to win the game. Big hits from Hannah, Aly and Ashley Beise with the game winner. The team had a lot of fight in them today which is awesome to see this early in the season. They are able to bounce back after facing adversity, which as a coach you love to see.”
On Saturday, the Gusties returned to action and took on Dubuque once again but this time the story was much different. Heacox took the mound once again for the Gusties, this time with a complete game, one-hit shutout. After scoring three runs in the first inning and two in the second, the Gusties cruised to a 6-0 victory. The Gusties carried this momentum to their second game of night, and their fourth of the weekend as they took on Grinnell College. This time, Senior Jena Willis was on the mound for Gustavus and she picked up where Heacox left off. Willis recorded her second complete game shutout of the season, and the Gusties were in control the entire game. Once again, they jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs in the first inning. The final score was 7-0, thanks to multi-hit games from four different Gusties. “We hit the ball well as a team today starting from the very first inning,” Stewart said. “We were able to execute well with runners on base throughout our whole line up. We continued to hit well in game two and rallied in multiple innings. We also pitched well on the mound, both Hannah Heacox and Jena Willis were effective against both opponents.”
Next up for the Gustie women is their spring trip to Kissimmee, Florida as they compete in the Central Florida Rebel Spring Games. From March 9 to 13, the Women’s Softball team has five straight days of doubleheaders against teams from all over the country. “Starting off the season 5-1 is always a good start,” Stewart said. “We are looking forward to getting outside on the dirt in Florida next week. We have a lot to work on still, and it will be nice to continue to play all of next week against tough competition.”
