<itlin Bagley ‘14 had five hits on the day, and Keelin Davis ‘16 tossed another gem as the Carleton College softball team split its third straight doubleheader. Host Hamline University prevailed in game one, 5-3, but Davis recorded her first collegiate shutout, 2-0, in the nightcap.
Carleton drew first blood in the game one, using hits by Jenny Ramey ‘14, Kelsey Parsons ‘13, and Bagley to tally a run in the opening frame. The Pipers (16-14, 12-8 MIAC) answered back with two runs in the bottom of the stanza and three more in the second.
The Knights (13-18, 8-10 MIAC) sliced the deficit in half following RBI singles by Claire Willeck ‘15 and Holly Buttrey ‘14 in the sixth, but Hamline pitcher Briana Vela shutdown Carleton the rest of the way.
In game two, the Knights had baserunners in every frame but managed to only push across single tallies in the first and second innings. It was enough for Davis, who scattered five hits and two walks to improve to 6-8 on the season. Hamline loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but just as she did against St. Olaf on Saturday, Davis slammed the door with a game-ending strikeout. Her six victories this season is the most by a Carleton rookie since Mari Jo Long ‘09 won a half-dozen in 2006.
Parsons and Ramey both contributed four hits over the two games. Bagley has gone 10-for-14 over the last two days, raising her batting average nearly 70 points to .316.
The Knights’ win total is their highest since posting 14 wins in 2004. This is Carleton’s best showing in the MIAC since an 8-14 conference ledger in 2005.
Carleton’s final regular season double-header, originally scheduled for Wednesday, May 1 was cancelled and will not be made up. Due to the incessant weather issues that limited conference play, the MIAC has announced a new playoff format for this year. The new format features four three-team pools playing round-robin games on Friday, May 3, with the four first-place teams advancing from each pool into a four-team, double-elimination tournament on Saturday, May 4, and Sunday, May 5.
Carleton advances to the MIAC Playoffs for the first time since the event began in 2004.