Softball finishes with a sweep

Tristan Lipe

After finishing the Midwest Conference Classic with two wins, the Lady Vikings faced off against Ripon looking to push their wining streak to three.
In the first game of the doubleheader the Vikes got yet another good outing from Meredith Foshag at the mound. She gave up only two earned runs of the three runs total through seven innings, during which there were only four hits.
However, the Vikes could not get it going at the plate. They produced only five hits and were only able to bring around two runners, with RBIs by Emily Perish and Carli Gurholt. The Vikings lost the first game to Ripon 3-2.
The Lady Vikes were looking to turn it around in the second game. Unfortunately, the Vikings were again unable to get their bats going. The Vikes only produced four hits from three hitters in the second game, and they could not bring any runners home.
The pitching struggled moderately, giving up nine hits, but this was not the Vikings’ downfall. Despite nine hits, Emily Perish only gave up two earned runs. The Vikings defense let them down in this game, as Ripon scored six unearned runs. Ripon took the second game 8-0 and swept the Vikes.
The game against University of Chicago was canceled, so the Vikings finished off their regular-season games against Carroll. After their poor showings behind the plate against Ripon, the Vikes came out against Carroll determined to get hot.
That is exactly what they did, as they produced 12 hits, more than they had in both games against Ripon. Carli Gurholt was on fire, going 3-4 with two doubles, yet another home run and five RBIs. Katie Simonson went 2-3 with two runs scored and the other two RBIs for the Vikes.
At the mound, Emily Perish got the job done. She gave up nine hits, but she was able to hold Carroll to only one earned run and three total runs, while striking out two. The Vikes looked good against Carroll, winning the first game 7-3.
In the second game, the Vikings’ bats did not cool. They again came up with 12 hits, and this time they brought nine runners home. Gurholt and Goodson again each had a home run, and Ellen French went 4-4 with three RBIs and a run scored.
At the mound, the Vikes struggled again. Meredith Foshag gave up five earned runs on 10 hits through five innings, but it was enough to get the job done. Emily Perish came in for the last two innings, giving up one unearned run and securing the sweep of Carroll. The Vikes took the second game 9-6 and finished their season play with a sweep of Carroll.
The Lady Vikes finished just one spot out of the conference tournament, but the ladies had a great season.