ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College softball team began conference play with a doubleheader split with visiting Augsburg College Saturday afternoon at the Macalester Softball Complex. The Scots, who lost the first game, 1-0 before taking Game 2, 9-1 in six innings, are now 13-7 overall and 1-1 in the MIAC. The Auggies also end the day 13-7, 1-1 MIAC.
The only run in Game 1 came in the top of the third inning, when Carly Dropik came home from third on a fielder's choice. Macalester loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the second inning, but two strikeouts and a diving catch on a liner off the bat of first year
Julia Carpenter (Stevensville, Mich./Lakeshore) ended the threat. Sophomore
Sophie Migacz (McHenry, Ill./McHenry West) pitched all seven innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out six and walking two. Samantha Anderson was her match, blanking the Scots on four hits with eight strikeouts and two walks. Senior
Nikki Caicedo (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley) had two of Macalester's four hits.
The bats woke up in Game 2, specifically in the third and fourth innings. After giving up a run in the top of the first, the Scots tallied three runs on five hits in the bottom of the third. Junior
Morghan Bean (Muscatine, Iowa/Muscatine) and sophomore
Claire O'Connor (Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont) drove in runs in the inning. Then in the fourth, Macalester sent nine batters to the plate and scored four runs on three hits and three errors for a 7-1 lead. Carpenter, Bean and junior
G.G. Gunther (San Francisco, Calif./Lowell) had RBIs.
In the bottom of the sixth, Carpenter scored on a grounder by Gunther, with Caicedo eventually plating Gunther with a single to end the game. Macalester registered 12 hits in the win, with Carpenter going 3-for-4 with three runs and one RBI. Gunther, Bean and Caicedo each had two hits.
Migacz picked up where she left off in Game 1, surrendering one run on four hits in six innings of work to improve to 10-5 on the season.
The Scots continue MIAC play with a doubleheader at Bethel University on Sunday, Apr. 2. The first pitch is set for 1:00 p.m.
