Softball 4/3/08 -- Augsburg 6-13, St. Catherine 2-5 (2nd game 5 inn.)
CLICK HERE FOR GAME 1 BOXSCORE
CLICK HERE FOR GAME 2 BOXSCORE
CLICK HERE FOR AUGSBURG SEASON STATISTICS
MINNEAPOLIS (4/3/08) -- Sarah Green (JR, Winnebago, Minn./Blue Earth Area HS) hit her fifth collegiate home run, a grand-slam as part of an eight-run third inning, as the Augsburg College softball team claimed back-to-back doubleheader sweeps for the first time since 2000, with a sweep of the College of St. Catherine in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Thursday evening at Augsburg's Edor Nelson Field.
Green also earned both pitching victories for Augsburg (8-14 overall, 4-0 MIAC), as the Auggies claimed a 6-2 win in the opener and a 13-5 win in the second game, which was ended in the fifth inning due to the NCAA's eight-run rule. St. Catherine is now 3-11 overall, 0-2 in MIAC play.
Including Saturday's sweep of St. Benedict, Augsburg claimed four victories in a row for the first time since the first four games of the 2006 campaign, and claimed back-to-back doubleheader sweeps for the first time since the 2000 season, when it swept St. Catherine and Macalester in consecutive MIAC twinbills on April 19 and 25, 2000. With an 8-14 record, Augsburg has already doubled its number of wins from last season (4-34).
Ashley Westerman (SR, Bemidji, Minn.) had a 4-for-5 performance at the plate in the doubleheader, driving in five runs while scoring four times. She had a run-scoring double in the first game, and went 3-for-3 with four RBI and three runs scored in the second game, hitting her first collegiate home run with a three-run shot to left-center in the third inning.
Augsburg sent 12 batters to the plate in the third inning of the second game, scoring eight runs -- with seven coming on the two home runs, Green's grand slam (her first collegiate grand slam and first homer of the season) and Westerman's three-run shot. Westerman also rounded the bases to start the inning on a single and three-base fielding error.
Meanwhile, Green pitched 10 innings in the two games, striking out seven while walking three to earn the victories in both games. She pitched to 27 of 30 batters in seven innings of work in the first game, and pitched the first three innings of the shortened second game.
Tiffany Magnuson (JR, Green Bay, Wis./Notre Dame Academy HS) went 4-for-7 with two triples, two runs scored and an RBI in the doubleheader, while Jennifer Castillo (FY, Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn HS) wen 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and an RBI, and Sarah Mueller (JR, Green Bay, Wis./Green Bay Southwest HS) had two hits, scoring three runs with an RBI. Jolene Ross (SR, Arden Hills, Minn./Mounds View HS) drove in a run on a double and scored four runs in the doubleheader, and Laura Strandell (FY, Pine Island, Minn.) drove in two runs for the Auggies.
Jessi McGehee (JR, Oakdale, Minn./Tartan HS) had a double and solo home run for St. Catherine in the doubleheader, while Shannon Bagwill (JR, Cottage Grove, Minn./Park HS) had two doubles and drove in two runs. Katie Allen (SO, Duluth, Minn.) drove in two runs on a double in the second game, and Lisa Jacobs (FY, Eagle Lake, Minn./Mankato East HS) had two hits, driving in two runs. Marie Anderson (JR, Ashland, Wis.) also had two hits for the Wildcats in the doubleheader.
Both teams return to MIAC play with road doubleheaders on Saturday (4/5) at 1 p.m, with Augsburg playing at Gustavus and St. Catherine playing at Carleton.
