MINNEAPOLIS (4/24/00) --
Rachael Ekholm (So., Richfield, Minn.) pitched the first game victory and hit a three-run over-the-fence home run in the second game, and
Kristi Smith (Sr., Dassel, Minn./Dassel-Cokato HS) pitched her first collegiate shutout, as Augsburg College claimed a sweep of the College of St. Catherine in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference softball doubleheader Monday evening at the University of Minnesota's Bierman Softball Complex. Augsburg won the first game 6-1 and the second 8-0 in five innings.
Ekholm struck out three Wildcats, while allowing just one walk, four hits and an unearned run to pick up the pitching win in the first game. At the plate, Ekholm went 3-for-4 in the doubleheader, with a single and two walks in the first game and a single, walk and three-run homer in the second game.
Meanwhile, Smith pitched a brilliant second game for the Auggies to claim the first shutout of her collegiate career, striking out three while not walking a batter and allowing just four baserunners -- three on base hits and one on a dropped third strike. She helped herself at the plate in the second game, going 1-for-2 with two runs scored and a run-scoring triple.
With the victories, Augsburg improves to 11-15 overall and 7-3 in the MIAC, bettering last season's 9-25-2 overall, 5-17 MIAC finish with 12 games remaining in the regular season. St. Catherine drops to 9-13-1 overall and 5-5-1 in the MIAC.
Tully Kaiser (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn HS), Augsburg's career record-holder in base hits (151), runs scored (122) and stolen bases (96), had three hits and three stolen bases in the doubleheader. Kaiser added two RBI.
Augsburg jumped in front with a two-run first inning in the first game, then added an insurance run in the fourth and three runs in the fifth to seal the win.
Jennifer Lemke (Fr., Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo HS) drove in two runs on a single in the first inning, and consecutive run-scoring doubles in the fifth inning by
Erika Skiba (So., Minneapolis, Minn./Roosevelt HS) and pinch-hitter
Mindy Evers (So., Comfrey, Minn.) produced the final margin of victory. Skiba's double plated two runners, and Evers' scored Skiba with the Auggies' last run.
Lemke had two hits, including a third-inning double, to go 2-for-2. Kaiser also had two hits in the first game.
Kelly Gulden (Fr., Apple Valley, Minn.) had two of the Wildcats' four hits in the first game, including a double. Rita Pomroy (Fr., Blaine, Minn./Totino-Grace HS) had a single and scored a run, and Melissa Sanchez (Jr., Grapevile, Texas/Carroll HS) had a double. Ana Fernandez (Fr., West Chicago, Ill./Community No. 94 HS) pitched in a losing effort, striking out seven.
Augsburg used a five-run first inning, sending 11 batters to the plate, to build a comfortable lead. Ekholm's three-run homer to deep center field in the bottom of the fourth inning -- her team-leading third home run of the season -- sealed the Auggies' early victory via the eight-run rule after five innings. Smith's run-scoring triple started the Auggie scoring outburst in the first inning, followed by run-scoring singles from Ekholm and
Emily Miller (Sr., Blaine, Minn.), a run-scoring walk from
Angie Satre (So., Hoffman, Minn./West Central Area HS) and a run-scoring infield single by Kaiser.
Rachel Breckenridge (Jr., Northfield, Minn.) took the pitching loss for the Wildcats, with Fernandez pitching in relief.
Augsburg travels to Macalester for an MIAC doubleheader on Tuesday (4/25) at 4 p.m., while St. Catherine hosts Gustavus on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
4:00p.m.
Batting/Fielding
St. Catherine AB R H BI BB SO PO A Augsburg AB R H BI BB SO PO A
*Kelly Gulden ss 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 *Tully Kaiser 3b 3 1 2 1 0 0 1 1
*Clare Grundtner rf 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 *Kristi Smith ss 4 0 0 0 0 3 2 3
*Rachel Breckenridge lf 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 *Rachael Ekholm p 2 2 1 0 2 0 1 5
*Rita Pomroy 1b 3 1 1 0 0 0 8 0 *Emily Miller 1b 3 0 0 0 0 2 10 0
*Beth Janni c 3 0 0 0 0 1 7 1 *Jennifer Lemke c 2 1 2 2 1 0 3 0
*Melissa Sanchez 3b 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 *Jennie LaManna 2b 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 1
*Heather Tudahl cf 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 *Erika Skiba lf 3 1 1 2 0 1 0 0
*Ana Fernandez p 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 *Angie Satre rf 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 0
*Jennifer Vernig 2b 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 Mindy Evers ph 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
Diana McGlothlin ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 *Brenda Selander cf 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 1
St. Catherine 26 1 4 0 1 3 18 7 Augsburg 26 6 9 6 3 7 21 11
Scoring by Inning
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
------------------------------------------------------------
St. Catherine 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 4 1
Augsburg 2 0 0 1 3 0 x 6 9 2
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E: Augsburg 2 -- Tully Kaiser, Emily Miller; St. Catherine 1 -- Melissa Sanchez
PB: Augsburg 0; St. Catherine 3 -- Beth Janni 3
DP: Augsburg 1 -; St. Catherine 0
LOB: Augsburg 6; St. Catherine 5
2B: Augsburg 3 -- Jennifer Lemke, Erika Skiba, Mindy Evers; St. Catherine 2 -- Kelly Gulden,
Melissa Sanchez
SB: Augsburg 4 -- Tully Kaiser 2, Rachael Ekholm, Brenda Selander; St. Catherine 1 --
Rachel Breckenridge
SH: Augsburg 1 -- Tully Kaiser; St. Catherine 0
Pitching
St. Catherine IP H R ER BB SO Augsburg IP H R ER BB SO
*Ana Fernandez L 6.0 9 6 6 3 7 *Rachael Ekholm W 7.0 4 1 0 1 3
St. Catherine 6.0 9 6 6 3 7 Augsburg 7.0 4 1 0 1 3
Attendance: 34
Time of Game: 1:37
6:00p.m.
Batting/Fielding
St. Catherine AB R H BI BB SO PO A Augsburg AB R H BI BB SO PO A
*Kelly Gulden ss 2 0 1 0 0 1 2 2 *Tully Kaiser 3b 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 3
*Rachel Breckenridge p,rf 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 *Kristi Smith p 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 4
*Rita Pomroy lf 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 *Rachael Ekholm ss 2 2 2 4 1 0 1 1
*Ellen Jensen 1b 2 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 *Emily Miller 1b 3 1 1 1 0 1 10 0
*Beth Janni c 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 *Jennifer Lemke c 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 1
*Melissa Sanchez 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 *Jennie LaManna 2b 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
Jennifer Dowzak ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jessica Norman ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
*Diana McGluthlin rf 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 *Erika Skiba lf 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 0
Ana Fernandez p,rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 *Angie Satre rf 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 1
*Heather Tudahl cf 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 *Brenda Selander cf 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0
*Jennifer Virnig 2b 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 Andrea Spiess ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Stephanie Sanchez ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
St. Catherine 18 0 3 0 0 3 12 7 Augsburg 20 8 9 8 6 1 15 10
Scoring by Inning
1 2 3 4 5 R H E
----------------------------------------------------
St. Catherine 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2
Augsburg 5 0 0 3 0 8 9 0
----------------------------------------------------
E: Augsburg 0; St. Catherine 2 -- Rita Pomroy, Ellen Jensen
LOB: Augsburg 6; St. Catherine 3
3B: Augsburg 1 -- Kristi Smith; St. Catherine 0
HR: Augsburg 1 -- Rachael Ekholm; St. Catherine 0
SB: Augsburg 2 -- Tully Kaiser, Brenda Selander; St. Catherine 0
CS: Augsburg 1 -- Rachael Ekholm; St. Catherine 1 -- Kelly Gulden
Pitching
St. Catherine IP H R ER BB SO Augsburg IP H R ER BB SO
*Rachel Breckenridge L 2.1 8 8 7 4 1 *Kristi Smith W 5.0 3 0 0 0 3
Ana Fernandez 1.2 1 0 0 2 0 *Kristi Smith W 5.0 3 0 0 0 3
St. Catherine 4.0 9 8 7 6 1 Augsburg 5.0 3 0 0 0 3
WP: Augsburg 0; St. Catherine 1 -- Rachel Breckenridge
Attendance: 34
Time of Game: 1:20
