Follow the Cougars on Twitter
Send Cougar updates to my email
Get Text Updates
W, 10-2
W, 4-0
New Ulm, Minn. – The Minnesota Morris softball team moved over the .500 mark in UMAC play today (Apr. 12) with their road sweep of Martin Luther.
Playing a doubleheader with the Knights, the Cougars cruised to a 10-2, five-inning-win in the first game, before sealing the sweep with a 4-0 shutout in game two. With the two wins, the Cougars improve to 6-12 on the season and 3-2 in UMAC action, while Martin Luther falls to 3-11 overall and 0-3.
The 10 runs in the first game tie a season high for the Cougars, while the 11 hits mark the eighth time they've notched double-digits on the season. With 23 hits over the two games today, it also marks the second best two-game stretch of the season, bettered only by the Cougars sweep of North Central on Apr. 5.
Kaitlyn Randall (Concord, Calif.) pitched all five innings in game one, allowing just one earned run in the win. She also added a 2-for-2 day at the plate and scored twice to help her cause, moving her season record to 3-5.
The Cougars did their damage late, blowing open a 3-2 game with a seven-run fifth, stringing together six hits to take a 10-2 lead to the bottom of the inning. The Cougars were the beneficiary of three Knight errors in the frame, scoring five of their runs with two outs.
After the Cougars piled on the runs, Randall pitched a perfect fifth to seal the win.
Kelli Hamilton (Delano, Minn.) took the circle in game two, and pitched a 7.0 inning complete game gem for her third win of the season. She allowed a season low four hits and walked just two, facing only six batters over the minimum.
The Knights matched Hamilton inning for inning, holding the Cougars off the board for the first four periods. However, in the fifth the Cougars strung four hits together to bring two runs across and take the game's first lead.
After Hamilton allowed just a meaningless single in the bottom of the inning, the Cougars came back with three hits and another two runs in the sixth for the 4-0 lead, which would stand up for the win.
Diane Blommel (Grey Eagle, Minn.) finished the day with five hits, three runs scored and three RBI, while Heather Briese (Fergus Falls, Minn.) and Tara Thielke (Hancock, Minn.) each finished the day with three hits.
The Cougars return to action this weekend, hosting a pair of weekend doubleheaders against Northwestern and Crown on Apr. 15 and 16 respectively. The first pitch is set for 3:00 p.m. on Friday and 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
