St. Cloud, Minn. – The Minnesota Morris softball team had a rough outing in the opening weekend of the 2011 season, falling 21-2 to Gustavus Adolphus and 11-0 to Valley City State on Mar. 5.
Playing at the Husky Dome on the campus of St. Cloud State, Morris struggled from the outset as Gustavus scored seven first inning runs on their way to the lopsided win. The Gusties came back with 11 in the second and three in the third before being held off the board in the final two innings.
In the fourth the Cougars regrouped to bang out three hits and score two runs, avoiding the shutout.
Kelli Hamilton (Delano, Minn.) got the opening day start for the Cougars, and falls to 0-1 on the young season. She allowed 16 runs on nine hits in her one inning of work. Coming in relief, Kelsey Draper (Chokio, Minn.) pitched the game's final four innings, allowing five runs on six hits with three strikeouts.
In game two the Cougars were held to just one hit as Viking starter Krystal Hathaway fanned 11 in pitching the complete game shutout.
On the night, the Cougars were led by Draper and Kristy Hoge (Aitkin, Minn.), who each logged a pair of hits.
Draper and Heather Briese (Fergus Falls, Minn.) scored the Cougars two runs, while Briese and Jessica Gordon (Columbia Heights, Minn.) each finished with an RBI.
The Cougars will now take the bats and balls to sunny Florida for eight games in Clermont over the week of spring break. They open with Oswego State and Macalester on Mar. 13, and wrap the trip up on Mar. 26.
