Softball 5/4/02 -- Bethel 4-7, Augsburg 3-0
GAME 1 BOXSCORE
GAME 2 BOXSCORE
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (5/04/02) -- Emily Conover (Jr., Crystal, Minn.) tripled and Jill Thorvig (Fr., Stacy, Minn.) singled her home for the game-winning run in the seventh inning of the first game, and Rachel Grams (Fr., Glencoe, Minn.) threw a five-hit shutout in the second game, as Bethel College completed a sweep of Augsburg College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference softball doubleheader on Saturday.
Bethel opened its new softball field at the Ona Orth Athletic Complex with the sweep to finish its season at 14-17-1 overall, 9-13 in MIAC play. Augsburg finishes its season at 10-22-1 overall and 6-16 in MIAC play. Augsburg lost five of its last six games to close the season.
The first game was a back-and-forth affair, as Bethel took an early lead before Augsburg rallied to tie the game twice in the final four innings.
Bethel took an early lead, when Kara Wager (So., Arlington Heights, Ill.) tripled and came home on a groundout by Lori Peters (Sr., Litchfield, Minn.) in the second inning. Later in the inning, Lisa Gruenhagen (So., Glencoe, Minn.) tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Becky Foskett (So., Prior Lake, Minn.).
Augsburg tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth, as
Jennie LaManna (Sr., South St. Paul, Minn.) tripled to bring home
Kristin Johnson (Fr., Minnetonka, Minn./Wayzata HS) and
Melissa Lee (So., Cannon Falls, Minn./Randolph HS).
Bethel took a 3-2 lead in the fifth, as Thorvig and Karrie Bateman (Jr., St. Paul, Minn.) hit consecutive doubles. Augsburg tied the game on a solo home run by
Rachael Ekholm (Sr., Richfield, Minn.) to lead off the sixth. Ekholm finished her career with a single-season school-record 11 homers and career record of 18 homers.
Conover tripled to open the seventh inning for Bethel, and came across on Thorvig's game-winning single.
Julie Berthiaume (So., St. Paul, Minn.) struck out five to pick up the complete-game pitching win for Bethel. Ekholm struck out three in a complete-game losing effort. Ekhnolm went 2-for-3 to lead Augsburg, while Conover went 3-for-4 for Bethel. Thorvig, Wager and Gruenhagen had two hits apiece.
Bethel pounded out eight hits off of Ekholm in the second game, including a 2-for-3, three-run performance by Thorvig. Meanwhile, Grams went the distance for the Royals, striking out four while allowing just one walk and five hits.
Bethel scored three runs in each of the first two innings. In the first, Thorvig doubled and came across as Bateman reached base on an error. Grams singled and Wager doubled to drive home two runs. In the second, Kristin Lundeen (Jr., Becker, Minn.) and Conover singled, and Lundeen scored as Thorvig reached on an error. A sacrifice fly by Bateman brought Conover across, and Wager's groundout brought Thorvig home.
Bethel added another run in the fourth, as Thorvig tripled and Bateman drove her home on a single.
