MOUNT VERNON, Iowa - The No. 23 Coe College softball team picked up a doubleheader sweep over local-rival Cornell on Tuesday afternoon, defeating the Rams 12-4 in six innings in game one before picking up a 6-1 victory in game two. The Kohawks, who extended Coe's 2022-23 Bremner Cup lead to 7-4, got two excellent pitching performances from starters
Hannah Ausenhus and
Ellie Thurow, combining to allow just seven hits and four earned runs in the sweep. Ausenhus started game one and immediately got a four-run lead thanks to her offense. She ran into some trouble in the bottom of the first but grew into the game and registered five strikeouts in her sixth win of the year. The bats finished game one with 15 hits, getting multi-hit games from five players including four hits and five RBI from
Skyler Stookey. Thurow also surrendered an early run in the second game, giving up what ended up being the lone hit and run of her dominant 10-strikeout performance. The Kohawk offense picked up their pitcher in the top of the second, tying the game with one run before exploding for four in the fourth. Coe had 12 hits in the game, marking three-straight contests with double-digit knocks.
Keera Ball was a perfect 3-of-3 at the plate, scoring a pair of runs and picking up one RBI while
Bree Mangelsen and
Heather Boeckenstedt finished with multi-hit games. With the victories, Coe improves to 15-3 on the season while Cornell drops to 4-6 overall.
No. 23 COE 12 - CORNELL 4 - 6 INNINGS
Game Facts
- The Kohawks wasted no time in the opener, scoring four runs on five hits to jump ahead. Boeckenstedt and Ruby Kappeler reached on back-to-back bunt singles and quickly were joined on base by Mangelsen who loaded the bags with a walk. Shaylee Dodd opened the scoring for Coe in the next at-bat, driving home one run with a sac-fly to plate Boeckenstedt. Stookey then picked up her first two RBI of the game, singling home Kappeler and Mangelsen to pad the lead. Marisa Vodicka made it 4-0 before the end of the early rally, singling home her 13th RBI of the year. Coe quickly allowed Cornell back into the game, throwing the ball away twice in the opening at-bat which allowed the Rams to score right away. The hosts then got a crucial two-out, two-run double to capitalize on the Kohawk error and slice the deficit to just one.
- Stookey restored a two-run lead for Coe two innings later, blasting a solo shot to center field for her third dinger of the season. Cornell again had an answer, getting another run on Coe's third error of the game as the Rams pulled back within one. The Kohawks put the game away for good in the top of the fourth, scoring four runs on three hits to grab a 9-4 lead. Mangelsen drove home the first two RBI, doubling home Kapperler and Wood who had reached earlier in the frame. Stookey then delivered another big blast, homering yet again to center field to bring home Mangelsen and extend the lead to five.
- Ausenhus recorded a shutdown inning in the Rams at-bat, retiring the side in order as she recorded two of her five strikeouts. Her offense added more insurance in the fifth and sixth innings, getting a sacrifice fly from Kappeler and a two-run double from Vodicka who gave Coe a chance at the run-rule victory. Ausenhus allowed a one-out double to make things interesting but the Central Springs product picked up her sixth win of the campaign with
No. 23 COE 6 - CORNELL 1
Game Facts
- Cornell got on the board in the bottom of the first inning, getting a leadoff single to set the table. The Rams then advanced the runner to third on a sacrifice bunt and later took the lead with an RBI groundout. The Kohawks quickly responded, getting a two-out RBI single from Boeckenstedt who drove home Ball to tie the game at one. Thurow began to hum for the Kohawks in the circle, retiring the Rams in order in the second and third.
- The offense came through once again in the fourth, exploding for four runs on four hits to take a 5-1 advantage. The first three Kohawks reached to start the inning, including Ball who singled home Vodicka to give her team the lead. Wood quickly made it 3-1 in the next at-bat, driving home Addie Menke on a sacrifice fly. Three-straight Kohawks reached again with one out in the frame, all capped off by Mangelsen who recorded a bunt single to plate Ball. Dodd ended the scoring later in the fourth, earning an RBI with a groundout to second that saw Boeckenstedt scamper home from third.
- Thurow continued to dominate for the remainder of the game, retiring the opponents in order in the fourth and sixth innings while issuing just one walk in the fifth. Coe added one insurance run in the seventh getting a pair of hits including an RBI single from Hannah Gralund who extended the lead to 6-1. Coe's starter had no issues in the final inning, securing her fifth win of the season a perfect 1-2-3 frame, striking out all three Ram hitters to bring her game total to 10.
Up next: Coe will begin American Rivers Conference play this weekend, making the trip to Nebraska Wesleyan on Saturday, April 1 for a doubleheader at 2 PM.
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