Softball 4/27/06 -- Augsburg 5-5, Carleton 3-3
Augsburg head coach Carol Enke reaches 300-victory plateau!

GAME 1 BOXSCORE
GAME 2 BOXSCORE


MINNEAPOLIS (4/27/06) -- Head coach Carol Enke recorded her 300th career victory in the final home doubleheader of her Augsburg College coaching career on Thursday night, as her Auggies swept Carleton College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference softball twinbill at Edor Nelson Field.

Augsburg won both games by identical 5-3 scores to improve to 15-21 overall, 8-12 in MIAC play. The wins pushed Enke, only the second head coach in the 32-season history of Augsburg softball, over the 300-win plateau. Enke, who is resigning her coaching position at the end of this season after 21 years as the Auggies' mentor, is now 301-425-3 in her career.

The doubleheader was resumed on Thursday evening after being postponed due to rain last Thursday. Carleton is now 11-23 overall, 5-15 in MIAC play.

Augsburg pitcher Shelley Harris (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest HS), pitching in her final home games of her collegiate career, claimed both victories for the Auggies, striking out three in a complete-game effort in the first game, while striking out five in six-and-two-thirds innings of work in the second game.

Augsburg rallied from deficits twice in the first game, the second comeback capped by a two-run home run by Sarah Green (Fr., Winnebago, Minn./Blue Earth Area HS) in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Two runs also scored for the Auggies on wild pitches in the first game, as the Auggies took advantage of five wild pitches and three passed balls in the contest. Augsburg had just five hits in the first game, as Knights pitcher Caitlyn Cornell (Sr., Mankato, Minn./East HS) struck out eight while walking two with one hit batter.

Jacci Mattern (Fr., Lakeville, Minn.) had an RBI single for the Auggies in the first game, while Kati Tweeten (Jr., Spring Grove, Minn.) had a triple and Ashley Westerman (So., Bemidji, Minn.) stroked a double.

Aron Feingold (Fr., Berkeley, Calif./ The College Preparatory School) had two hits for the Knights in the first game.

In the second contest, Augsburg trailed again, but scored one run in the second inning, after Westerman tripled and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Audra Thimmesch-Gill (Sr., St. Paul, Minn./Central HS), then scored four runs in the fourth inning on just one hit, taking advantage of an error, walk, fielder's choice, passed ball and two wild pitches.

Carleton's Kari Christianson (Sr., Twin Valley, Minn./Norman County East HS) hit a solo home run in the sixth inning, and the Knights rallied in the seventh, scoring a run on an RBI single by Elise Johnson (Jr., Grantsburg, Wis.). The Knights had the eventual tying run on base, with the bases loaded and two outs, but Augsburg relief pitcher Green got the final out to end the game and earn her second save of the year.

Mari Jo Long (Fr., Wilmette, Ill./New Trier HS) pitched a complete-game four-hitter for the Knights, but just two of the five runs scored against her were earned. She struck out three while walking three.

Thimmesch-Gill had two RBI for the Auggies, as did Johnson for the Knights. Johnson had two hits, along with Carina Ellis (Jr., Mahtomedi, Minn.) and Christianson. Jamie Lykken (Sr., Edina, Minn.) had a double and scored twice for Carleton.

Both teams finish their seasons on Saturday (4/29) at 1 p.m. with MIAC doubleheaders in Northfield, Minn., as Augsburg plays at St. Olaf and Carleton hosts St. Mary's.