| 
Softball All-Conference awards announced
Monday, May 05, 2008 St. Paul, Minn. – After claiming their first Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season title since 1995, Northwestern College had five individuals selected to the league’s All-Conference first team. Junior Kelsey Hanson received the most All-Conference votes, earning UMAC Player of the Year honors. Hanson was a perfect 12-0 in conference contests, showcasing a 1.71 ERA to go with 85 strikeouts in 13 appearances. Hanson’s teammate and fellow pitching partner Amanda Rodgers also received first team All-Conference honors, going 7-2 from the rubber while preserving a .485 batting average.
After the Eagles finished 8-6 in conference play last season, Northwestern turned things around in 2008, improving to 19-2 to earn head coach Tracy Cromer the league’s Coach of the Year accolade.
Northland College and the College of St. Scholastica, who finished second and third within the conference’s regular season ranks, each boasted three individual All-Conference selections. The LumberJills from Northland, who went 17-4 in conference play, were led by sophomore Karen Harnisch, who built an impressive .531 batting average and .875 slugging percentage in league play.
First team All-Conference winners Kayla Kahilainen and Michaela Carlson paced St. Scholastica, winners of the last 10 conference championships. Kahilainen batted .382 with four home runs in conference games this season, while Carlson maintained a .421 batting average to go with a team-high 26 runs batted in.
Bethany Lutheran College, the University of Minnesota-Morris and Crown College each added one individual to the All-Conference list. Martin Luther College, Minnesota-Morris, Northland and Bethany Lutheran had two more individuals receive All-Conference Honorable Mention accolades.
2008 PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kelsey Hanson - Northwestern
2008 COACH OF THE YEAR
Tracy Cromer - Northwestern
FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
Kelsey Hanson, Northwestern
Karen Harnisch, Northland
Kayle Kahilainen, St. Scholastica
Michaela Carlson, St. Scholastica
Amanda Rodgers, Northwestern
Brittany Schmitt, Northland
Katie Zaban, Northland
Carol Niemi, Martin Luther
Kayla Jenkins, St. Scholastica
Susan Hegstrom, Bethany Lutheran
Natalie Slagter, Northwestern
Lauren August, Northwestern
Liz Leuty, Minnesota-Morris
Ashley Weimer, Northwestern
Danielle Schiebout, Crown
HONORABLE MENTION
Jenny Kortus, Northwestern
Alex Potter, Northland
Bailey Jelle, Minnesota-Morris
Jamie Boldt, Martin Luther
Chelsey Weiss, St. Scholastica
Brittany Schlomer, Bethany Lutheran
Jessica Henning, Martin Luther
Diane Blommel, Minnesota-Morris
Steph Langfeldt, Northland
Anna Ristow, Bethany Lutheran
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Pitcher
Brittany Schmitt, Northland
Catcher
Katie Brown, St. Scholastica
Tiff Datko, Northland
1B
Robin Lake, St. Scholastica
2B
Kristin Swartz, St. Scholastica
3B
Susan Hegstrom, Bethany Lutheran
SS
Karen Karnisch, Northland
Ashley Weimer, Northwestern
OF
Jamie Boldt, Martin Luther
Liz Leuty, Minnesota-Morris
Brittany Schlomer, Bethany Lutheran
Natalie Slagter, Northwestern
Softball splits double header in season finale
Thursday, May 01, 2008 John Dvorak Mankato, Minn.—The Bethany softball team played their final homes games of the season Wednesday, splitting a pair versus UM-Morris (8-18, 7-14 UMAC).
In game one Bethany took a 4-1 lead after five innings. Morris managed to tie the game at 4-4, but the Vikings won walk-off style on an error in the bottom-half of the seventh inning. Outfielder Brittany Schlomer finished 3-for-4 and Anna Ristow went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the victory. Pitcher Amy Stevens earned her sixth win of the season.
In game two, Morris jumped out to a 4-0 lead and didn’t look back—winning 5-1. Amy Stevens finished with two hits for BLC in the loss.
Bethany (8-21, 8-12 UMAC) finished the season in fifth place within the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference.
Final statistical leaders include Anna Ristow (.386 BA, 25 RBI), Susan Hegstrom (.342 BA) and Brittany Schlomer (.305 BA). Amy Stevens finished the season batting .300 and had six wins as a pitcher.
The UMAC tournament features Northwestern, Northland, St. Scholastic and Martin Luther College and is held this weekend, May 2-3, at Crown College in St. Bonifacius, Minn.
Softball goes 1-for-4 at UMAC tourney
Sunday, April 27, 2008 John Dvorak Rosemount, Minn.—Bethany traveled to the Rosemount Dome this past weekend to participate in the UMAC tournament.
On Friday, the Vikings were no-hit by St. Scholastica, 8-0. The Saints scored five runs in the bottom-half of the third and held on for the victory. The game lasted just 65 minutes.
On Sunday the Vikings stormed out and scored a season-high in runs in a 27-3 victory over Crown College. BLC scored 10 runs and 13 runs in the first two innings. Brittany Schlomer (3-for-4, five RBI) and Abigail Popp (3-for-4, four RBI) led the BLC attack.
In game two, Northland defeated Bethany 8-2. BLC scored the game’s first two runs, but Northland answered right back with four runs in the bottom-half of the first and held on for the victory. BLC’s Susan Hegstrom collected two hits in the loss.
In game three, Northwestern defeated Bethany 9-1. Again, the Vikings scored the game’s first run, but the Eagles scored three in the top-half of the third inning and held on for the win. The Vikings committed four errors in the loss.
Bethany (6-20, 6-11 UMAC) hosts UM-Morris in a tripleheader on April 30—games start at 1 p.m.
2008 UMAC softball tournament website
Friday, April 25, 2008 SOFTBALL GAMES FOR FRIDAY, APRIL 25, HAVE BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER. Keep updated with results, statistics, and recaps from the 2008 UMAC Softball Crossover Tournament by visiting the tournament website: http://nwceagles.com/sports/2008/3/25/SB_0325084541.aspx?path=softball
Northland softball sweeps Bethany in doubleheader
Thursday, April 24, 2008 John Dvorak Mankato, Minn.—Northland College (16-14, 14-2 UMAC) won both games versus Bethany on Wednesday in Mankato.
In game one Northland scored two runs in the top-half of the second and held on for a close 2-0 victory. Pitcher Amy Stevens threw seven innings and allowed just two earned runs in the loss for BLC; Brittany Schlomer collected two hits.
In game two, Northland won 7-2. The Vikings took an early 1-0 lead but Northland scored six runs in top-half of the third and held on for the victory. Stevens had two hits for the Vikings in the loss.
Through 22 games, Anna Ristow leads Bethany in batting average, home runs and RBI (.413, 2, 19).
Bethany (5-17, 5-8 UMAC) plays a doubleheader at home versus UM-Morris on April 27.
Softball takes one of four games on recent road trip
Monday, April 21, 2008 John Dvorak Mankato, Minn.—On April 18, the Vikings split a doubleheader versus Crown College—losing the first game 8-7 and winning the second game 19-7.
In game one, Crown won on a walk-off RBI single in the seventh. In game two, Bethany got the bats going, scoring 12 runs in the second inning alone. Brittany Schlomer and Abigail Popp each had four hits in the victory. The teams combined for 11 errors in the contest.
On April 19, Northwestern College (17-9 overall) won both games versus BLC by a score of 11-3.
In game one, Northwestern scored seven runs in the bottom-half of the sixth to put the game out of reach. In game two, Northwestern scored seven runs in the fourth inning and held on for the victory. Amy Stevens collected two hits for the Vikings in the loss.
Bethany (5-15, 5-6 UMAC) plays at home versus Northland on Tuesday.
Softball splits with rival Martin Luther at home
Thursday, April 17, 2008 John Dvorak Mankato, Minn.—The Vikings split a doubleheader versus Martin Luther College (7-7, 6-5 UMAC), Wednesday on senior day.
In game one MLC won 9-3. The Knights jumped out to a 7-0 lead after four innings and didn’t look back.
Carol Niemi and Jill Anding each had three hits to lead MLC. Anna Ristow went 3-for-4 for the Vikings in the loss. Both schools recorded 13 hits in the game.
In game two BLC out-slugged MLC in a 14-6 victory. A nine-run second inning highlighted the win for Bethany.
Five players had multi-games for the Vikings and pitcher Abigail Popp earned her first collegiate win. Jessica Henning went 3-for-3 with a home run for the Knights.
Seniors Amy Stevens and Bridget Burger were honored between the games.
Through 16 games, infielder Susan Hegstrom leads the BLC offense with a .500 batting average (19-for-38). Anna Ristow leads the team in RBI with 12.
The Vikings (4-12, 4-3 UMAC) play a doubleheader at Crown College on Friday.
Softball splits with St. Scholastica on windy afternoon
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 John Dvorak Mankato, Minn.—The BLC softball team split a doubleheader Tuesday versus St. Scholastica (5-15, 4-2 UMAC).
In game one the Vikings won in dramatic fashion, 5-4 in extra innings—Danielle Weber scored in the bottom-half of the eighth on an Abigail Popp fielder’s choice. BLC overcame a 4-3 deficit through five innings.
Weber finished with three hits and Anna Ristow added two hits in the victory; pitcher Amy Stevens threw eight innings, allowing three earned runs.
This win came after back-to-back losses versus Martin Luther College last week—each just by one run.
In game two St. Scholastica no-hit the Vikings, winning 12-0 and smacking 15 hits.
The Vikings (3-11, 3-2 UMAC) are at home again Wednesday versus rival Martin Luther College.
|
