Rochester, MN -- North Central University Softball struggled to get the bats going today in both games of their double header. In game one, the Rams took on the Gustavus Adolphus College Golden Gusties and the Grinell College Pioneers in game two. The Rams would only have two hits combined and one run scored on the day.

Game One:

In game one, the Rams started with sophomore Carla Mendoza on the mound. NCU would struggle to wake up the bats and would go 1,2,3 to end the top of the first inning. Mendoza would walk two in the first but would get out of the inning with no runs given up, leaving two runners on the bases. Aurora Prettyman would start the Rams off with a walk in the top of the second and a throwing error by the third baseman on the next play, would advance her to second base. The Rams would struggle still as Prettyman would be stranded on second base to end the top of the second. The Golden Gusties would string together seven total hits in the second scoring seven runs to build their lead. Rams hitting would continue to struggle at the plate and it would carry over into the bottom of the third. Seven more hits for the Golden Gusties, and one error from the Rams would extend their lead from seven to twelve to end the third inning. The Rams would have two baserunners on in the top of the fourth but wouldn't be able to get them across home plate. NCU's defense would improve in the fourth giving up no runs, but they would be shut down in the top of the fifth ending the game via mercy rule. The Blue and Gold would fall 12-0 in game one of their double header.

Game Two:

Mendoza would take the mound again to start game two against the Grinell College Pioneers. The Rams would continue to struggle to wake the bats up to start this game as well. The Pioneers came out hot scoring six runs in the bottom of the first inning. Both teams would go 1,2,3 to keep the score the same entering the third inning. NCU would score their first run of the day in the top of the third with Kailey Trim, crossing the plate after reaching on a single earlier in the innning. she would end up scoring off of another single from Charley Kastl. The Pioneers would retaliate with five more runs of their own, making the score 1-11 to end the third. The fourth inning would end with three quick outs from both teams. NCU would finish the fifth inning going down 1,2,3 ending the game with a final score of 1-11, in favor of Grinell College Pioneers.

Key Performers: 

• Charley Kastl (Richfield, MN) finished the day with 1 hit and 1 RBI, bringing in the only run of the day for NCU.
• Kailey Trim (Fort Scott, KS) had 1 hit, 1 stolen base, and the only run for NCU.

Looking Ahead:

North Central's Softball team will make their home debut in a double header against Maranatha Baptist University on March 18th.

All fans are encouraged to tune into the official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages for all your up-to-date Softball information and news.