Cougars drop both ends of twin-bill
(Story by: Zach Koenig)
Morris, MN—The University of Minnesota-Morris softball team lost both ends of a doubleheader to Martin Luther on Saturday. After a forgettable 4-1 loss in the opening tilt, the Cougars stretched the second game into extra innings before falling 7-6.
The first game saw Emilie Kalvig (Jr. Blackduck, MN) take the mound for the Cougars. A Cougar throwing error in the first inning led to an unearned run crossing the plate against Kalvig, but she would keep the damage to a minimum.
UMM struck back in the third inning when a bases loaded walk to Julie Rohling (So. Howard Lake, MN) allowed Bailey Jelle (Jr. Lakeville, MN) to trot in from third base.
Martin Luther quickly regained the lead in the top of the fourth inning thanks to four singles leading to two runs that put the score at 3-1. The visitors would score one more unearned run in the seventh inning to put the final score at 4-1.
Despite taking the loss, Kalvig posted an impressive line of seven innings pitched, only one walk, and two earned runs.
Liz Leuty (Fr. St. Cloud, MN) led the Cougar offense with three hits in three at-bats, while Ashley Corbett (Jr. Forest Lake, MN) contributed the only other UMM hit in the ballgame.
In the second contest, Minnesota-Morris lit up the scoreboard right away in the first inning when Leuty tripled and scored on an error.
Game two starter Stephanie Wilson (So. Detroit Lakes, MN) set down the visitors in order in the opening frame, but struggled mightily in the second, allowing three hits (two of which were doubles) en route to three runs.
However, the Cougars tied the game in their half of the second inning. Singles from Heather Briese (Fr. Fergus Falls, MN), Briana Czer (Jr. New Ulm, MN), and Jelle, combined with solid base-running in taking advantage of some Martin Luther miscues, tied the score at 3-3.
The visitors then snatched the momentum away from UMM again by scoring two runs in the third inning and one in the fourth.
Down 6-3 heading into the sixth inning, Heidi Miller (Fr. Eden Valley, MN) put a jolt in the offense by walking, stealing second, and scoring on a throwing error by the opposing catcher. In that same inning, a walk to Jelle was followed by singles from Leuty and Wilson for another run, putting the Cougars within one at 6-5.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Rohling led off with a double and moved to third on a wild pitch. After Briese lined out to right field, Czer’s ground-ball out was hit deep enough to score Rohling with the tying run, sending the game into extra innings.
In the extra frames, the Cougars placed a runner on third base in both the eighth and ninth, but could not drive either runner across the plate.
Seizing on the missed opportunities of UMM, Martin Luther finally scored in the 11th inning on a single, sacrifice bunt, and throwing error. The Cougars then went down one-two-three in the bottom of the inning to give the visitors a 7-6 victory.
Wilson pitched all 11 innings for Minnesota-Morris, allowing 14 hits and five earned runs. She was charged with the loss.
Offensively, Leuty picked up three hits and scored twice, while Briese, Czer, and Miller tallied two hits apiece.
 |  |
| Minnesota-Morris | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Martin Luther College | 4 | 9 | 1 |
| Game one |
Game 1 box
| |
| Minnesota-Morris | 6 | 11 | 4 |
| Martin Luther College | 6 | 13 | 5 |
| Game two (11 innings) |
Game 2 box
