Norse softball takes 2nd in IIAC championship

The Luther softball team won three games but, lost two to Coe College and finished in second place at the IIAC Championships this weekend, narrowly missing out on an automatic bid to the national championships.

On April 30, Luther jumped out to a good start in the tournament, defeating Simpson College 7-5.

The Norse picked up an early 7-1 lead after five innings and hung on to win after Simpson scored four runs on five hits in the top of the seventh. The Norse produced three runs in the third and four in the fifth on eight hits and a bit of help from the Storm, who committed four errors.

Kelsey Hake (‘10) drove in three runs with a 2-for-4 performance. Hake hit a single that drove in two runs in the third and a double to center field in the fifth that scored Kim Hess, who reached base on an error. Abby Christian (‘12) also drove in two runs in this frame with her only hit of the game, a single down the left field line.

BreAnn VanDeer (‘09) pitched seven innings en route to the victory. VanDeer allowed four earned runs on eight hits, walked one and struck out seven.

Luther continued to advance in the winners bracket after beating Central 5-2 on May 1. The Dutch were the regular season champions and entered this game ranked second in the nation.

Luther jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top half of the first inning, when Danielle Armbruster (‘09) hit her third home run of the year, a three-run shot over the right field fence. The Norse added two insurance runs in the fifth thanks to RBIs by Tiffany Kruse (‘10) and Christian after the Norse loaded the bases.

Christian and Kim Hess (‘09) tallied four of Luther’s six hits, reaching base safely twice each. Hess and Anna Simonson (‘10) both scored twice. Hess has now scored 133 times and is five away from setting the school record. Erin Michael (‘07) holds the record with 137.

Kim Lambert (‘10) went the distance in the circle. Lambert allowed two runs on seven hits, walked seven and struck out 12.

Later that day, Coe College advanced to the championship game of the tournament, defeating Luther 3-1 in the semifinals. Luther tallied six hits and scored its lone run in the top of the sixth. Jackie Miller (‘09), who was 3-for-3, drove in the run with a single center field.

The Norse didn’t let the loss get them down, however, as Luther beat Central for the second time in two days and the third time this year to get another crack at Coe and stay alive in the tournament. Luther posted an 8-5 decision over the Dutch, eliminating the regular season champions out of the tournament.

Luther took advantage of five Central errors that resulted in all eight unearned runs. The Norse scored four times in the third and four in the sixth. Central tied the game 4-4 after five complete.

The hit of the game came off the bat of Lauran Snyder (‘12), who hit a grand slam home run with two outs in the sixth. Snyder’s home run was her sixth of the year.

Hess and Christian produced multiple hits. Hess was 2-for-5 and scored a run, while Christian was was 2-for-4 and drove in two runs with a double down the left field line in the third.

Lambert picked up her tenth win of the year in relief of Hake. Hake pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowed three runs on five hits, walked two and struck out four. Lambert allowed two runs on one hit, walked six and struck out one.

Luther wrapped up the 2009 tournament with a second place finish after dropping an 11-6 decision to Coe. The victory secured the tournament title for the Kohawks, who needed to beat Luther just once out of two times to secure the championship.

Luther jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the third, but the lead was short lived, as Coe responded with eight runs in the bottom half of the same frame. The Norse also scored three runs in the fifth, while Coe tallied a run in the fifth and two in the sixth.

Danielle Armbruster (‘09) and Snyder both tallied two RBIs. Armbruster drove in her two runs with a single to left field in the third. Snyder hit a two-run double to right center field in the fifth.

The loss gives the Norse an overall record of 33-9, but their season is not over yet. Despite finishing second and missing out on an automatic bid to the national tournament, the Norse earned an at-large bid and will play the University of Washington-St. Louis at 4 p.m. on May 7 in the first round of the tournament in Indianola, Iowa.