St. Norbert Settles for Split With Grinnell

From Sports Information Director, April 16, 2016 | Softball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College settled for a doubleheader split with Grinnell College, winning the opener 4-2 before losing the nightcap 13-7 in a pair of Midwest Conference games at Miron Construction Field.

The Green Knights took the lead in the opener when Emily Laufer's triple scored Tia Danforth, who had singled with two outs. St. Norbert added three runs in the third inning. Ashley Schuettpelz singled and Danforth followed with another single. Laufer then stroked a home run to left field to give the Green Knights a 4-0 lead.

Grinnell would score single runs in the fifth and sixth innings but would get no closer than 4-2.

Lexi LeCalsey picked up the complete-game win for St. Norbert, allowing seven hits with no walks and seven strokeouts. Laufer was 2-for-3 with all four runs batted in and Danforth was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Amy McBride was also 2-for-3.

In the nightcap, the two teams combined for 35 hits - with Grinnell pounding out 20. The Pioneers scored five runs in the first inning and four runs in the second inning to hold a 9-5 lead after two frames.

The Pioneers scored five runs on six hits in the first inning before St. Norbert answered with three runs on four hits in the bottom half. Laufer had an RBI double while Danforth and Brooke Wilson had run-scoring singles.

St. Norbert got two runs back in the bottom of the second inning with a two-run home run by Danforth. Grinnell would add four runs in the top of the sixth before St. Norbert would close out the scoring on RBI singles by Laufer and Amanda Van Handel.

Danforth was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Laufer was 2-for-4 wiht two runs scored and two RBIs. Wilson, Schuettpelz and Gina Mastrodomenico were also 2-for-4 for St. Norbert.

Francesca Marrese took the loss, allowing six hits and five runs in one inning pitched.