CLERMONT, Fla. – The University of Minnesota Morris softball team lost a pair of games on Tuesday to Macalester College and Meredith College. The Scots came from behind for a 3-1 win early in the day and the Avenging Angels soared out of the gates and came away with a 16-2 win in five innings. 

Minnesota Morris is scheduled for a hectic day on Wednesday, playing three times to make up for a missed game earlier in the week. The current slate calls for a 10:30 a.m. (EDT) matchup with Augsburg University, a 12:45 p.m. (EDT) game with Nichols College, and a 3 p.m. (EDT) make-up game with Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. 

Macalester 3, Minnesota Morris 1
The game started well for Minnesota Morris in the top of the first inning against Macalester as the Cougars loaded the bases via a walk to Sierra Stevens, a Mollie Dummer hit by pitch, and a fielding error that allowed Tori Nichols-Kraft to reach. Autumn Theis then drove in Stevens before the Scots were able to get out of the jam with just the single run coming home.

Macalester knotted the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the second with a two-out double and then took the lead in the bottom of the fourth when a bunt single turned into two runs scored. 

The best chance the Cougars had the rest of the way came in the top of the sixth when they loaded the bases with two down. However, the Scots once again worked out of trouble and induced a fielder's choice to end the inning and stay in front.

Dummer (1-3) took the loss, though she threw a complete game and scattered only seven Macalester hits. Besides Stevens and Nichols-Kraft, Marissa Allen had the other hit in the contest for Minnesota Morris.

Meredith 16, Minnesota Morris 2 (5 innings)
Meredith flipped the script on Minnesota Morris in the second game of the day, scoring six runs in the top of the first. The first five Avenging Angel batters of the game reached on singles before Taylor Walke homered to dead center to put Meredith ahead, 6-0. Two more runs were added in the second inning on a triple and a RBI groundout to leave the score at 8-0.

The Cougars got one back in the bottom of the second as Allen led off with a walk before being Carly Mahoney pinch-ran for her. From there, Olivia Diver was hit by a pitch and Anna Athey laid down a sac bunt to get runners in scoring position. On a wild pitch, Mahoney came home to cut it to 8-1. 

The Avenging Angels were back at it with seven more runs in the top of the third, including a three-run blast from Sarah Manis. Minnesota Morris plated its second run in the bottom of the third when Adrianna Johnson drew a walk with the bases loaded to bring Stevens in.

Stevens and Nichols-Kraft had the two hits in the game for Minnesota Morris. Grace Penke was saddled with the loss in the circle to fall to 0-1 on the year.