Softball 4/19/01 -- St. Benedict 5-2, Augsburg 1-0

Boxscore from Game 1 -- St. Benedict 5, Augsburg 1
Boxscore from Game 2 -- St. Benedict 2, Augsburg 0

MINNEAPOLIS (4/19/01) -- Annalisa Jordan (Fr., Vadnais Heights, Minn./White Bear Lake HS) and Laura Stork (Jr., Lidderdale, Iowa/Kuemper HS) pitched complete-game victories for the College of St. Benedict, as the Blazers completed a sweep of Augsburg College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference softball doubleheader Thursday evening at Augsburg's Anderson-Nelson Field.

The Blazers won the first contest 5-1, then won the second game 2-0, despite only getting one base hit in the contest. St. Benedict is now 10-4 overall and 8-2 in the MIAC, while Augsburg drops to 9-15 overall and 2-8 in league play. The Auggies have lost their last six games in a row.

In the second contest, Augsburg pitcher Rachael Ekholm (Jr., Richfield, Minn.) pitched a perfect game through four innings, but the Blazers scored both their runs without a hit in the fifth frame, taking advantage of two Augsburg fielding errors, two fielder's choices, a walk and a hit batter. Pinch-runner Nicole Kunkel (Fr., Anoka, Minn./Totino-Grace HS) and Ruth Primus (So., Melrose, Minn.) scored the Blazer runs.

Ellie Jelsing (Fr., Mora, Minn.) had the lone Blazer hit in the second game, a single in the sixth inning. It was the only baserunner Ekholm allowed from the fifth inning on.

Stork struck out two and allowed four hits to pick up the pitching win, while Ekholm had two strikeouts in a losing effort. Kristin Lideen (Fr., Champlin, Minn./Champlin-Park HS) had two hits and a stolen base to pace the Auggies.

The Blazers spread the hitting around in the first game, as eight batters had one hit apiece. Kimberly Erickson (So., St. Cloud, Minn./Apollo HS) drove in the first run of the game on a fielder's choice in the second inning, Jaclyn Worm (Jr., Young America, Minn./Central HS) had a two-run single in the fifth and Nancy Budzien (Fr., St. Paul, Minn./St. Agnes HS) had a run-scoring single in the sixth. Ginny Sawyer (So., Battle Lake, Minn.) completed the scoring, coming in on a sacrifice fly by Angie Minnerath (Sr., Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori HS) in the seventh. Sawyer scored two runs in the game.

Augsburg's lone run came in the second, when Karen Tweeten (Jr., Spring Grove, Minn.) doubled and came in on a single by Heather Yerbich (Fr., Blackduck, Minn.).

Jordan struck out four while walking one and allowing just three hits to pick up the pitching win for the Blazers, while Ekholm allowed eight hits in a losing effort.

Augsburg returns to action on Saturday (4/21) at 1 p.m. with a MIAC doubleheader at St. Catherine. St. Benedict hosts Carleton in a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.