The Gustavus Softball Team opened their 2019 season this past weekend with doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday in Rochester, MN.

On opening day, the Gusties took on Luther College in game one in what turned out to be a battle of great pitching and solid defense for both teams.

Sophomore Ashley Neuenfeldt was on the mound for the Gusties and pitched all seven innings. She threw five strikeouts, allowing seven hits and no earned runs.

Neither team got on the scoreboard until the third inning, when the Norse strung together two hits and took advantage of a Gustie error to bring two runners home. 

The Gusties trailed by two runs until the bottom of the fifth, when Junior Aly Freeman singled, and fellow Junior Caitlin Kammerer drove her in. Kammerer then advanced to third base, but a clutch strikeout closed out the inning for Luther and left two Gusties stranded on base.

Luther’s stellar pitching closed out the game, and the Norse went away with a 2-1 victory behind a 10 strikeout performance.

Freeman and fellow Junior Emily Carlson led the Gusties offense with two hits apiece.

“In game one we really came out and competed start to finish and we were really happy with our performance. We made adjustments in our approaches throughout the game against a very good pitcher and we got seven hits in the contest. Ashley pitched really well for us and dominated the strike zone. Our defense needs to be cleaned up a bit, but that will come as we continue to play more together as a team,” Head Coach Britt Stewart said after game one.

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Gusties’ offense started slow but picked up late to give them edge.

Through the first five innings, the game was knotted at 0-0 and the Gusties had managed to produce just three hits.

Then, in the sixth inning, the Gusties’ bats caught fire and they put together six runs on seven hits. Carroll responded with one run of their own in the bottom half of the inning before the Gusties tacked on four more runs in the seventh and final inning.

This time it was Freeman going the distance on the mound for Gustavus. She allowed seven hits and had five strikeouts while allowing no earned runs.

Gustavus showcased its young core as First-years Sydney Swenson, Kaylyn Leonard, and Kenzie Skuza each had two hits. Leonard was the standout with three RBI’s and two runs scored.

“Game two was a battle for five innings, and then we were able to string multiple hits together in the sixth. We had solid defense and our coaching staff is really happy with such a strong start to the season but also know there is work to do,” Stewart said.

On Sunday, the Gusties encountered stiff competition. First, they took on Buena Vista in a game where both teams had eight hits, but the Beavers were able to capitalize and turn those into runs while the Gusties were not.

The Beavers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning off of two hits and a Gustie defensive error.

In the fifth inning, the Beavers added to their lead on an error, two singles, and a double.

In the sixth, the Gusties were able to string together four hits, but solid defense from the Beavers and sloppy base running resulted in zero runs.

The final score was 5-0 in favor of Buena Vista. Skuza led the Gustie offense with two hits, and Freeman suffered the loss on the mound, going 4 innings and allowing two earned runs.

The Gusties had a quick turnaround to take on No. 20 UW-Oshkosh. An incredible pitching display from the Titans and solid hitting combined with savvy base running proved to be too much for the Gusties to handle.

The Titans scored one run on two hits in the first inning, and then scored four runs with two outs in the second to take an early 5-0 lead.

The fourth inning is where the Titans really extended their lead, with six runs on five hits and a pair of errors for the Gusties.

Oshkosh gave up just one hit in the five innings of play, and First-year Amara Packey got her first appearance on the mound for the Gusties, producing one shutout inning.

“Today was a tough day. We didn’t execute the stuff we’ve been working on the past month. The positive part is that we have only played four games. Our team has a ton of upside and our girls are ready to get back in the gym and put the work in,” Stewart said.

The Gusties head back to Rochester next Sunday for a doubleheader against UW-River Falls and UW-Eau Claire.