Minneapolis, Minn. - Clutch hitting, confident defense, aggressive baserunning, top notch pitching performances.  In short, the Crown softball team looked like a ball club as they took down Augsburg by matching 2-1 scores in a season opening doubleheader on Friday night.  

Coming off the program's first playoff berth in the NCAA era, the Storm were ready to get 2016 off to a fast start.  Thanks to a pair of one-run gems from pitchers Cearra Dulaney and Liz King, they were able to do just that.

Dulaney started game one and threw seven innings of one-run ball, allowing just four hits and four walks, while striking out eight.  The Crown defense was electric behind the southpaw, turning three double plays in game one, including a massive 6-5-3 double play with a runner on second and nobody out in the top of the seventh inning.

Crown broke the 0-0 deadlock in the fifth when Janelle Williams reached on an infield single and was safe at second after a fielder's choice by Cassidy Valenzuela.  Marissa Becerra then bunted the runners over to put two in scoring position with just one out.  Sarah Petkau then delivered with an RBI groundout, scoring Williams.  The throw over to third was off target, allowing Valenzuela to score Crown's second run.  The Crown offense, which finished game one with five hits, would not be able to add any runs the rest of the way, but two proved to be enough as Dulaney took care of business, stifling the Auggie hitters for the rest of the night.

Game two featured newcomer Liz King in the circle, and the freshman picked up right where Dulaney left off, keeping the home offense at bay through five scoreless innings.  Augsburg was able to scratch an unearned run across in the bottom of the sixth for a 1-0 lead, putting Crown in a must score situation in top of the seventh.

After a strikeout to open the inning, Williams saw a line-drive to center snagged, robbing the third baseman of a sure extra base hit, and leaving Crown down to their final out.  Valanzuela was the next batter and found herself down to one strike with a 1-2 count.  Crown's centerfielder battled to a 3-2 count, fouling off three pitches before reaching on an infield single.  Becerra then was down to her final strike before singling to right field on an 0-2 count and moving Valenzuela to third.  That brought Petkau to the plate, and Crown's NCAA era leader in hits, doubles, and RBIs tacked on to her totals in each of those categories with a 2 RBI double to the gap in left center, on an 0-2 count of course.

Looking to make the one run lead stick, Crown played a confident seventh inning as King worked around a leadoff single and Crown's infield twice cut down the lead runner as three straight groundouts ended the game at 2-1 in favor of the Storm.  

King went all seven innings, allowing just one unearned run on three hits and a walk, striking out six and inducing 11 ground ball outs.  

The Storm will get right back to it Saturday morning, once again in the dome at Augsburg College, as they take on Loras College in an early morning doubleheader.