Softball 3/31-4/1/04 -- Augsburg 5-4, Macalester 4-1 (1st game 13 inn.)
GAME 1 BOXSCORE 
GAME 2 BOXSCORE 


ST. PAUL, Minn. (4/1/04) -- Shelley Harris (So., Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest HS) pitched 20 innings over two games to pick up two victories for Augsburg College, as the Auggies opened Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with a doubleheader sweep of Macalester College at Macalester's Shaw Field.

On Thursday, Augsburg won the first game 5-4 in a 13-inning marathon. The second game was postponed due to darkness to Thursday, and the Auggies completed the sweep with a 4-1 triumph. Augsburg is now 6-10 overall and 2-0 in MIAC play, while Macalester drops to 2-9-1 overall, 0-2 in MIAC play.

Harris notched nine strikeouts, while allowing just two walks and eight hits, in her complete-game effort in the first game, and followed it up by allowing just eight hits and three walks in the second game.

Augsburg overcame a 3-0 second-inning deficit to tie the first game and force extra innings. Macalester's Caitlin Adams hit a two-run homer in th efirst inning, and Anna Sokol scored on a second-inning groundout.

In the fourth inning, Augsburg's Lisa Uehling (Fr., Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) singled, moved to third on a double by Melissa Lee (Sr., Cannon Falls, Minn./Randolph HS), and scored after Kati Tweeten (Fr., Spring Grove, Minn.) reached base on a fielding error. A single by Trisha Pederson (Sr., Clouqet, Minn./Proctor HS) brought home Lee.

In the fifth inning, Augsburg tied the game as Kristen Lideen (Sr., Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park HS) singled, moved to second on an error, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a groundout by Uehling.

Neither team scored again until the "international tiebreaker" rule was put into play after the ninth inning, as the person making the final out of the previous inning was placed on second base. In the 11th inning, Harris scored on two groundouts, but Macalester followed it up in the bottom of the 11th by tying the game on a run-scoring single by Ashley Lyden.

In the 13th, Lee was placed on second, moved to third on a groundout, then scored on a fielding error. Harris then scored two strikeouts in the bottom of the 13th to clinch the win for the Auggies.

Pederson went 3-for-6 to lead the Auggies, while Lideen, Harris and Becky Ruckel (Jr., Andover, Minn./Anoka HS) had two hits apiece. Macalester's Lisa Bauer and Miranda Gray had two hits each. Alisha Seifert took the pitching loss for the Scots, striking out seven in a complete-game effort.

Harris allowed just a third-inning run, on a double by Adams, and pitched well the rest of the way in the second game. Meanwhile, Augsburg scored single runs in four innings to score victory.

A single by Audra Thimmesch-Gill (So., St. Paul, Minn./Central HS) drove in Tweeten in the second inning, and a bases-loaded hit batter brought in Lideen in the third. A single by Julia Grovum (So., Cottage Grove, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) drove in Uehling in the sixth inning, and Lee scored after Uehling reached base on a fielding error in the seventh.

Eight Auggies had base hits in the game. Gray, Adams and Kat Sprole had two hits apiece for Macalester. Augsburg stranded nine runners on base, while Macalester stranded eight runners on the basepaths.

Both teams return to MIAC action on Saturday (4/3) with 1 p.m. doubleheaders. Augsburg plays at St. Thomas, while Macalester plays at Bethel.