Softball 4/24/01 -- Augsburg 6-5, Macalester 0-1

Boxscore from Game 1 -- Augsburg 6, Macalester 0
Boxscore from Game 2 -- Augsburg 5, Macalester 1

MINNEAPOLIS (4/24/01) -- Rachael Ekholm (Jr., Richfield, Minn.) pitched two complete-game victories and went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate to lead Augsburg College to a sweep of Macalester College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference softball doubleheader Tuesday at Augsburg's Anderson-Nelson Field.

Augsburg won the first contest 6-0 and claimed a 5-1 win in the second game to improve to 11-15 overall and 4-8 in MIAC play. Macalester drops to 1-25-1 overall and 1-13 in league play.

Ekholm struck out nine Scots while walking just one and pitched a two-hitter for her third shutout victory of the season in the first game. Two of her three hits were doubles, and she drove in two runs and scored once.

The Auggies scored two runs in the first, third and fifth innings to build a strong advantage, behind nine hits. Seven Auggies had hits in the first game, including a run-scoring triple from Jennifer Lemke (So., Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo HS) in the fifth. Karen Tweeten (Jr., Spring Grove, Minn.) also drove in a run for the Auggies, and Jennie LaManna (Jr., South St. Paul, Minn.) scored twice.

Cristin Beach (Jr., Corton, Calif./Alta Loma HS) had both Macalester hits in the first game. Jaclyn Chavez (Sr., Santa Fe, N.M.) took the pitching loss, striking out two.

Augsburg scored twice in the first inning, once in the third and twice in the sixth to claim the victory in the second game. Brenda Selander (Sr., Oakdale, Minn./Tartan HS) drove in a run on a bunt base hit in the first inning, with Melissa Lee (Fr., Cannon Falls, Minn./Randolph HS) driving in the second run on an infield popup, in which Ekholm scored when no one covered home plate.

The Auggies took advantage of five straight walks to score a run in the third, and a pinch-hit single by Heather Yerbich (Fr., Blackduck, Minn.) and sacrifice fly by Kristin Lideen (Fr., Champlin, Minn./Champlin-Park HS) brought in the Auggies' final two runs of the game in the sixth.

Macalester scored its lone run of the game in the seventh, when Beach scored on a single by Amaya Webster (Fr., Berkeley, Calif.). Narith Ol (So., Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) had a triple for the Scots.

Ekholm struck out three Scots to pick up the second-game victory, while Heidi Erickson (Fr., Prior Lake, Minn.) struck out three in a losing effort for the Scots.

Both teams return to MIAC play with doubleheaders on Thursday (4/26) at 4 p.m., Augsburg playing at Gustavus and Macalester playing at St. Benedict.