St. Norbert Salvages Split in Midwest Conference Opener

From Sports Information Director, April 7, 2015 | Softball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College bounced back for a doubleheader split with Ripon College in Midwest Conference action at Miron Construction Field at Mel Nicks Sports Complex. Ripon won the opener 3-1 before the Green Knights took the nightcap 9-1 in six innings.

The Green Knights (6-12, 1-1 MWC North) scored in four of six innings to cruise to the win in the second game. Ripon scored once in the top of the first to take the early lead, but the Green Knights responded when Tayler Long scored on an error and Jessica DeMeuse drove in Samantha Gross on a single.

St. Norbert added two runs in the third inning on a Codi Jenshak sacrifice bunt and a DeMeuse RBI double. The Green Knights pulled away on three hits and four runs in the fifth inning. Jenshak had an RBI single, and later came around to score on a throwing error. Leigh Grall then had a sacrifice bunt to plate DeMeuse.

Gross' two-run single in the sixth inning ended the game on the eight-run rule.

Long finished 3-for-3 with four runs scored in the nightcap, while DeMeuse was 3-for-3. Jenshak was 1-for-2 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Francesca Marrese earned the win, allowing five hits with no walks and two strikeouts in a complete-game effort.

In the opener, Ripon scored uneared runs in the second and third innings to take a 2-0 lead. St. Norbert scored one run in the sixth inning on an RBI double by Brooke Wilson, but the Red Hawks countered with an insurance run in the top of the seventh.

Long and Jenshak were both 2-for-4 for St. Norbert, which had seven hits. Morgan Rusch took the complete-game loss, allowing 12 hits and one earned run with one strikeout.