LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Grinnell College's softball team saw its record-breaking season come to an end Saturday morning with an 8-6 loss to St. Norbert College in an elimination game of the 2019 Midwest Conference Tournament.
The Pioneers, who set a school record this season with 13 conference wins, shot out to a 5-0 lead before the Green Knights erupted for eight consecutive runs.
Two Pioneers tied school records during the game, as
Darice Wheeler '21 collected her 102nd career RBI and
Emily Jordan '19 played her 142nd game. Both players tied
Kayla Morrissey for the records.
Grinnell managed eight hits against St. Norbert, including two each by
Maddie Matsubara '22 and
Ashley Wehrenberg '19. Grinnell (19-22) went to work immediately with two runs in the first inning as Wehrenberg's single through the left side scored Matsubara and
Leila Bishop-Parise '21. Wheeler belted an RBI double through the left side in the third inning and
Mya Davis '21 blasted a two-run homer to left to score Wheeler, making it 5-0.
St. Norbert raced back, though, tying it in the bottom of the third and putting up three more runs in the fifth. Grinnell got one run back in the seventh inning when
Sidney Litke '19 hammered the second homer of her career, a solo shot over the left-center field fence, to make it 8-6. But St. Norbert (23-16) shut the door after that to earn the win.
Wheeler was the pitcher of record for Grinnell, striking out four batters in 4-1/3 innings.
