St. Norbert Bounces Back to Sweep Cornell

From Asst. AD/Athletics Communications, April 22, 2018 | Softball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa - St. Norbert College salvaged a split of its four-game trip to Iowa this weekend with a 5-0 and 6-3 doubleheader sweep of Cornell College in a pair of Midwest Conference games at Mount Vernon Softball Complex.

The Green Knights (8-16, 4-6 MWC) rebounded after dropping a pair of games at second-place Grinnell College on Saturday.

St. Norbert got a complete-game shutout from Emma Molenhouse in the opener. Molenhouse scattered seven hits and did not walk a batter while striking out one.

Alyssa Sikora put St. Norbert ahead 1-0 in the second inning with an RBI single. The Green Knights added to their lead later in the inning when a ball was erred on the infield, allowing two runs to cross home plate. St. Norbert added to its lead when Amanda Diedrich stroked a two-run home run in the third inning for a 5-0 edge, which held up the rest of the way.

Sikora was 3-for-3, while Diedrich was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. St. Norbert had eight hits in the opener.

In the nightcap, Cornell scored once in the bottom of the first before St. Norbert answered with a three-run third inning, all on Lexy Campshure's bases-clearing double.

The Rams added single runs in the third and fourth innings to tie the game at 3-3 before St. Norbert came again with three runs in the fifth inning. Whitney Baumann had a run-scoring double and Sikora a two-run single to key the rally.

Ellie Olsen made those runs stand up as she earned her first collegiate victory in a complete-game effort. Olsen scattered 10 hits and walked four while striking out three. Olsen coaxed Cornell into leaving 11 runners on base for the game.

Sikora was 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Brianna Braeger was 2-for-4 with a run scored.