JEN WALTER POSTGAME INTERVIEW
Notables-CSS' fifth NCAA Tournament appearance-CSS falls to 0-6 all-time vs. Luther-Luther is ranked fifth in the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association poll
DECORAH, Iowa (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica softball team was defeated by host and No. 5-ranked Luther College (Iowa) on Friday in the opening game of the NCAA Division III Decorah Regional.
The Saints threatened in the top of the first with back-to-back singles from
Kara Warren (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Denfeld HS) and
Molly Jazdzewski (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Central HS). However, the Saints stranded runners at second and third in the inning. The Norse struck first in the bottom frame with a two-out double to make it 1-0 after two.
In the top of the third,
Emily Schiro (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Armstrong HS) got on base with a single and then with two outs
Nikki Logergren (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Denfeld HS (Northern Stars)) hit a two-run home run to give CSS a 2-1 lead. That lead was short-lived, however, as Luther hit a two-run home run of its own in the bottom of the third to regain the lead at 3-2.
After the Norse added a sacrifice fly in the fourth,
Rendi Johnson (Bonney Lake, Wash./Bonney Lake HS) hit a leadoff home run in the fifth to cut the Luther margin to 4-3. Later in the inning, the Saints would have the tying run cross home plate on a
Micah McGuiness (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake HS) single, but that run was taken off the board on appeal when it was determined the runner never touched home plate.
Luther added another sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth to make it 5-3. In the sixth inning, the Norse added insurance thanks to a three-run home run as part of a four-run inning to make the final score 9-3.
Seven different Saints recorded hits in the loss. Miranda McCay had three of Luther's eight hits with three RBIs and three runs scored.
Chrisi Mizera (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East HS) picked up the loss for the Saints. Amanda Witzlib went the distance for the Norse to earn the win.
The Saints (31-15) will face Linfield College (Ore.) tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. Linfield fell to the University of St. Thomas 2-1 in the first game of the day.
