WEST ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College women's softball team opened up the 2016 season at the West St. Paul Dome against Bethany Lutheran in a Wednesday afternoon doubleheader.  The Scots earned two wins to start the year, defeating the Vikings 9-1 (in six innings) and 14-0 (six innings).
 
Game One: Macalester 9, Bethany Lutheran 1 (6 innings)
 
Macalester's offense took off in the bottom of the third, scoring three runs on two hits and two Viking errors. It was senior, Abby Cox (Fort Worth, Texas / Country Day) who brought in the first run, raking in an RBI single up the middle to score Natalie Platt (Boulder, Colo. / Boulder). G.G. Gunther followed up (San Francisco, Calif. / Lowell) with an RBI single of her own.
 
The Scots tacked on one more run in each the fourth and fifth innings before scoring four in the bottom of the sixth to end the game early with the eight-run rule.
 
Junior catcher Nikki Caicedo (Clinton Township, Mich. / Chippewa Valley) finished with a big first game for Macalester. Caicedo went three for four at the plate with three RBI's. Cox and Gunther also finished with multiple hits, each collecting two. Cox added three RBI's and Gunther two.
 
Logan Tootle (Kansas City, Mo. / Lee's Summit North) started in the circle for the Scots, earning her first win of the season after pitching five innings and giving up three hits. Tootle allowed zero earned runs and struck out three. First year Makaya Resner (Missoula, Mont. / Loyola Sacred Heart) relieved Tootle and pitched one inning, giving up one run, two hits and struck out two.
 
Macalester finished with seven hits to the Vikings' five.
 
Game Two: Macalester 14, Bethany Lutheran 0
 
The Scots kept up the offensive dominance in game two, getting on the board early as Gunther scored a run in the top of the first after singling to get on.
 
Macalester had two huge innings, scoring five runs in the top of the third and eight in the top of the sixth after collecting 12 hits.
 
First year pitcher, Sophie Migacz (McHenry, Ill. / McHenry Wes) earned her first career win, pitching six complete innings and gave up just two hits and no runs. Migacz struck out nine batters in her debut.
 
Sophomore infielder Natalie Platt (Boulder, Colo. / Boulder) led the team with three hits in the game. Gunther and Lisa Semro (Cary, Ill. / Cary-Grove) each tacked on two hits, while Gunther and Caicedo added two RBI's.
 
Macalester will return to action on Saturday, March 5 when they travel to Rochester, Minn. to compete in the Rochester Dome Tournament. The Scots will face Martin Luther at 2:30 p.m. followed by Luther College at 7 p.m.