Softball 4/23/05 -- St. Mary's 11-9, Augsburg 3-1 (1st game 6 inn., 2nd game 5 inn.)

GAME 1 BOXSCORE
GAME 2 BOXSCORE

MINNEAPOLIS (4/23/05) -- Jenni Gutterman (Jr., Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) and Nikki Jung (So., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS) hit home runs in the first game, and Mandy Tschernach (So., Rice Lake, Wis.) hit an inside-the-park, grand-slam home run in the second game, as St. Mary's University claimed a sweep of host Augsburg College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference softball twinbill on Saturday afternoon at Edor Nelson Field.

St. Mary's won the first game 11-3 in six innings and claimed a 9-1 triumph in the second game to improve to 25-7 overall, 14-2 in MIAC play. Augsburg is now 8-20 overall, 4-12 in MIAC play.

Jung hit a solo home run to center field in the second inning of the first game, while Gutterman hit a two-run blast to center in the fifth inning, as the Cardinals built a 10-0 lead. Augsburg scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend the game, but St. Mary's scored a run in the sixth on an RBI single by Melissa Mondo (So., Vadnais Heights, Minn./White Bear Lake HS) to enable the game to be ended early on the NCAA eight-run rule.

Mondo went 3-for-4 in the first game with two RBI and a run scored, while Jung scored three runs and Gutterman scored twice. Amy Edge (Sr., Montfort, Wis./Mineral Point HS) had an RBI double in going 2-for-3, while Krista Conway (Sr., Mendota Heights, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) had a run-scoring triple. Jenny Schipp (Jr., Oakdale, Minn./North St. Paul HS) had a double and scored a run.

Augsburg notched a bases-loaded walk, run-scoring single by Trista Gundersen (So., Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial HS) and a wild pitch to score a run for its three tallies in the fifth inning. Gundersen, Jolene Ross (Fr., Arden Hills, Minn./Mounds View HS) and Melynda Kleewein (Sr., Anchorage, Alaska/Dimond HS) had two hits apiece for the Auggies.

Schipp struck out seven while not walking a batter in three innings of pitching in the first game for St. Mary's to score the win, withKelly Rodgers (Fr., Plymouth, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret HS) pitching three innings to score the save. Kati Tweeten (So., Spring Grove, Minn.) took the loss for the Auggies in the first game, though four of the 11 runs against her were unearned on five Augsburg errors.

Tschernach's inside-the-park grand-slam in the second game, hit to the deepest part of Edor Nelson Field in right center, keyed a six-run fifth inning that enabled the Cardinals to end the second game early. Jung and Amy Lang (Jr., Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West HS) also had run-scoring singles in the fifth frame.

Run-scoring singles by Conway and Gutterman put the Cardinals on the board in the second inning, with Conway later scoring on a wild pitch. Augsburg scored a run in the fourth inning, as Lisa Uehling (So., Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) hit a grounder to second that plated pinch-runner Amy Kelvie (Fr., Minneapolis, Minn./Patrick Henry HS).

Conway, Jung and Tara Close (So., North St. Paul, Minn.) had two hits each for St. Mary's in the second game, with Jung and Close contributing doubles. Augsburg managed just three hits, all singles, against St. Mary's pitcher Megan Wallisch (Fr., Loveland, Colo./Holy Family HS), who had four strikeouts against just one walk.

Augsburg pitcher Shelley Harris (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest HS) struck out five while taking the loss for Augsburg.

Both teams return to MIAC action on Tuesday (4/26) with 4 p.m. doubleheaders, as Augsburg plays at Gustavus and St. Mary's hosts Bethel.