Minneapolis, Minn. – The Crown softball team continued their early season schedule with a pair of twin-bills at the Augsburg Dome. Crown took on Augsburg Friday night and met UW-River Falls early Saturday morning.
Crown scored a pair of runs in each of the four games, but unfortunately couldn't keep pace with the non-conference foes, going 0-4 on the weekend.
Crown's first game produced an extremely unique box score as the team was held hitless over five innings, but drew 11 walks, with five walks in the first inning leading to two Storm runs.
Maria Lilienthal walked to bring home a run in the top of the first with a
Lindsay Glover walk bringing home the other.
Liz Kemp, Lilienthal, and
Abbey Underdahl each drew two free passes in the opener, with Kemp and
Maliya Martinez crossing the plate for the Storm. Underdahl was in the circle and struck out one over four innings of work.
The second game with the Auggies went the distance, with the hosts prevailing 5-2 in seven innings.
Crown got a solid pitching performance from Glover, who went all seven innings, allowing five earned on eight hits and three walks with two strikeouts.
Crown fell behind 2-0 in the second inning but scored two in the fourth to tie things up.
Kiara Hurt started the inning off with a triple to deep left field and Kemp reached on an error and promptly stole second. After a pair of outs threatened to spoil the promising start to the inning, Underdahl delivered with a single to center that brought home both runners.
Augsburg would score twice in the fifth to regain the lead and add an insurance run in the sixth.
Kemp led Crown with two hits, including a double, and
Ally Adams also doubled for Crown in the game.
Saturday morning saw an early start as first-pitch against River Falls was at 8:30 a.m. It would prove to be a tough morning for the Storm as the WIAC opponent took both games by matching 17-2 scores.
Hurt recorded two hits in the first game, while Adams and Underdahl each doubled. Glover and Underdahl scored on an RBI walk by
Ashley Earick and Adams' double.
The second game featured an early Crown lead as Lilienthal doubled home Kemp in the top of the first.
Crown would only be able to muster one more run in the contest, however, coming in the fifth when Martinez singled home Earick.
Crown will now wait three weeks for their next game when they host Finlandia for a Saturday double-header on March 26
th.