Kieran Ripken-
The Gustavus Softball Team traveled to Northfield last Saturday for a doubleheader against St. Olaf and recorded the team’s third consecutive split series. The Gusties won 7-6 in the first of two games before dropping the second 10-2. Gustavus progressed to 19-17 and 13-5 in the MIAC on the season.
In the first game of two, the Gusties stormed out to a commanding lead. Senior Madi Mueller stepped up to the plate in the leadoff spot and tattooed a solo home run over the left field wall for a 1-0 lead. A double from First-year Carly Olson brought in the next run for the Gusties, scoring Junior Kayla Herda. Sophomore Lauren Lambert singled to left and scored fellow classmate Caitlin Olafsson to raise the score to 3-0. A fielder’s choice and error scored Olson and an RBI from Junior Greta Dahlen scored Lambert. When the dust settled, the Gusties had poured on five runs in the first inning.
“It was huge to get that big of a lead right away [because it gave] our pitchers a safety blanket to go in and do their job without as much stress… St. Olaf is a good hitting team and we knew that going in, so having a lead took some of the pressure off right away,” Olafsson said.
The Oles would not go away easily, scoring a run on a solo homer to left in the second. In the third, Olson tacked on another double and scored Olafsson who had walked previously in the inning. The home team would respond yet again, scoring three in the bottom of the third inning to close the gap to 6-4. The Oles would tally another run in the fifth to bring the score within one.
In the sixth inning, Olson rose to the occasion on offense for the third time this game, registering a third RBI double that would prove to be the game-winning play. Olson’s RBI scored Sophomore Olivia Guggenberger, who had singled earlier that inning.
The Oles continued to stick around, logging another solo home run in the bottom of the sixth; however, St. Olaf’s comeback bid was suppressed by First-year Megan Sherwood in the circle to earn the Gusties their 19th win of the campaign.
“Our team has been working hard all season both in games and practices, and I think it is really paying off,” Sherwood said.
Sophomore Maizie Anderson pitched 4.1 innings and was credited with her 11th win on the season. Sherwood closed the door on the Oles in 2.2 innings of work and earned her first career save in the process.
“It was a very competitive game, but I knew that my defense was there to back me up. I was glad I could help keep the lead that Maizie had started in the circle and [was] happy we came out with the win,” Sherwood said.
In game two of the doubleheader, St. Olaf broke the ice with an RBI single in the first inning for a 1-0 lead. Gustavus responded in the second, tying the game on an RBI double courtesy of Dahlen. The Oles would answer with a two-run homer to right center to seize a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second. The Gusties would not regain the lead.
An RBI groundout from Herda scored Mueller in the third, which would prove to be the final run of the day for the Gusties and narrowed the deficit to 3-2. St. Olaf scored again on an RBI single in the fourth to extend the lead 4-2. The Gusties had a prime opportunity to cash in at the dish in the fifth with bases loaded, but consecutive strikeouts ended the inning.
In the fifth, the Oles would tack on another run from a solo shot. In a similar fashion to the Gustie win just hours earlier, the Oles borrowed their visitor’s strategy from the previous game and racked up five unanswered runs in the sixth inning. St. Olaf’s prowess at the plate in game two culminated in a 10-2 loss for the Gusties.
“We learn something new every time we play… We’ve seen a lot of what they have and it makes us even more prepared going into the conference tournament,” Olafsson said.
“I think we just need to trust and have confidence in ourselves and our abilities the rest of the way through this season because we have worked hard to get to where we are now,” Sherwood said.
“The MIAC is full of teams where anyone can beat anyone. We expect to play good games and play our best game to ensure some wins at the end of the season and feel confident going into the conference tournament,” Olafsson said.
Looking ahead, the Gusties will host Carleton on Saturday, May 4th for a doubleheader in what will be the team’s regular-season finale. The Knights are 13-19 (4-14 MIAC) on the season and have dropped nine of their last ten. The team’s last four matchups during the regular season have resulted in a split series; however, the Gusties have outscored the Knights 16-10 since 2022.