Junior second baseman Kimmy Hassel provided the St. Thomas softball team with the offensive surge it needed to sweep Carleton College 8-2,10-1 in a doubleheader Tuesday, April 17, at home. Hassel hit a home run and got on base five times to lead the Tommie offense that had ten different players get a hit.
The Tommies are back on a conference winning streak after having their previous 53-game streak snapped last Saturday after Gustavus handed them a 4-0 loss.
Game One
The Tommies made a statement with their pitching in the first game. Freshman pitcher Kendra Bowe started the game, and freshman pitcher Annie Boyer picked up her first win. St. Thomas held Carleton scoreless for the first four innings.
Coach John Tschida said that he was pleased with the pitching performances.
“Part of it is trying to keep everybody healthy and sharp,” Tschida said. “Today we had a chance to start some different people, which rests some of the other starters.”
The Tommie batters started hot with two early hits in the first. They scored their first two runs on their first at bat, making the score 2-0.
The Tommies scored five runs on four hits in the second inning to make the score 7-0. Junior catcher Heidi Schreiner got things started with a single to center field. Freshman outfielder Dana Holmes was brought in to pinch run for Schreiner. Holmes advanced to third on a passed ball, and junior outfielder Alyssa Dunrud hit a single.
Hassel singled to left field to bring Holmes in, leaving the bases loaded. Sophomore Jenna Hoffman’s double would score two more runs, giving the Tommies a 7-2 lead.
The Tommies scored one more run in the fifth inning and won with a final score 8-2.
Game Two
Freshman pitcher Kendra Bowe also started the second game of the doubleheader and struck out two batters in the first inning. Bowe allowed one run in six innings during the two games, tallying eight strikeouts and no walks.
The Tommies also dominated offensively in the first inning by scoring six runs. Sophomore first baseman Erin Mussett started the rally by hitting a single to center field, sending Phinney and Hassel home. Later in the inning, junior third baseman Fantashia Gates-Colbert hit a two-run double, scoring Hoffman and sophomore catcher Emily Gregory.
Sophomore shortstop Mary Rentz then singled to right field, scoring Gates-Colbert.
Gates-Colbert was proud of her team’s strong offense to start the second game.
“It felt great,” Gates-Colbert said. “It’s always nice to hit a line drive and get your teammates in so we can score some runs and get ahead in the game.”
The Tommies had another big offensive surge in the second inning. Hassel started things off with a single to left field and later scored after Gregory was hit by a pitch. Sophomore outfielder Maria McQuillan then picked up an RBI on a groundout to second. After two innings, St. Thomas had a 8-0 lead.
Hassel hit a home run in the third inning, sending in two runs and sealing a 10-1 St. Thomas victory.
St. Thomas (26-6 overall, 13-1 MIAC) shares first place in the conference standings with Gustavus. The team faces St. Catherine Thursday, April 19, at home.
Josie Oliver can be reached at oliv4246@stthomas.edu.