ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College softball team earned its first MIAC win of the season with a 7-4 victory over Hamline in Game 1 of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Meredith Field. The Scots, who dropped the second game, 8-2, are now 7-13 overall and 1-3 in the conference. The Pipers are now 11-7, 2-3 MIAC.

In the first game, Macalester trailed, 1-0 before tying the game in the top of the third inning on a single by junior Regan Brodine (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) that plated junior Jessica Katzin (Chicago, Ill./Jones College Prep). Then in the fourth, senior Emily Bergin (Houston, Texas/St. Thomas Episcopal School) and Katzin each had RBI singles to give the Scots a 3-1 lead. After Hamline tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, Katzin drove in Bergin with a single to regain the upper hand, 4-3. With two out and a runner on third in the bottom of the seventh, Kira Krueger delivered a single to tie the score at 4-4 and force extra innings.

In the top of the eighth, sophomore Mandy Morrical (Mount Vernon, Iowa/Mount Vernon) led off with an infield single and sophomore Lauren Smith (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown) reached on an error. After a flyout, sophomore Emily Pederson (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) blasted a three-run home run to left centerfield, her second homer of the season, to put Macalester on top, 7-4. First year pitcher Kaitlyn Pistorius (Parker, Colo./Legend) retired the Pipers in order in the bottom of the eighth to close out the win.

Pistorius allowed four runs on eight hits while walking four and striking out four in eight innings to earn the win. Pedersen and Katzin both went 3-for-4, while Brodine, Bergin and Morrical had two hits apiece.

Hamline scored two runs in the first inning, four in the second and one run apiece in the sixth and seventh innings to cruise to an 8-2 win. First year Sophie Futchko (Prince Frederick, Md./Huntingtown) came home from second on a flyout and an error in the second, and sophomore Elsa Church (St. Louis, Mo./Kirkland) scored on a grounder by senior Mackenzie Clarke (Redwood City, Calif./Sequoia) in the third for the Scots' only runs. Futchko, Brodine and Katzin had the three hits for Macalester in Game 2. Pistorius came on in relief of Church and gave up two runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings.

The Scots play at St. Catherine in another MIAC doubleheader on the road Sunday, April 10. The first game starts at 1:00 p.m. in St. Paul.