<r the second straight day, Keelin Davis ‘16 and Micaela LaRose ‘15 pitched and hit the Carleton College softball team to a sweep. This time the duo guided the Knights to a pair of victories over Macalester College, prevailing by scores of 9-1 (6 inn.) and 8-4.
The Knights extended their win streak to five games and with a 5-1 ledger in MIAC play, Carleton is off to its best start to the conference season since opening the 2001 MIAC campaign 4-0. The Knights are now 10-9 overall this season, already eclipsing last season’s victory total.
Less than three hours before first pitch, Davis was named the MIAC’s Pitcher-of-the-Week for April 1-7. She proved worthy of that distinction as she carried a one-hitter into the final frame and finished with a three-hitter as walked a pair and struck out four to even her record at 4-4.
Once again it was a team effort on offense as eight different players scored and seven collected at least one RBI in the opener. Jenny Ramey ‘14 pounded out three hits with Kelsey Parsons ‘13 and Claire Willeck ‘15 adding two hits apiece.
“I think we did a really good job today of adjusting to the various pitchers that Macalester threw at us,” said Carleton head coach Amy Erickson. “We focused on really staying through the ball, and it definitely paid off today.”
LaRose headed to the center circle in game two and worked around five fielding miscues to keep the Scots in check. She stranded 11 baserunners, including eight of them in scoring position. It was LaRose’s eighth complete game of the year and fifth victory of the season, both the highest total by a Knight since 2011.
Ramey got the offense started with a home run to centerfield in the third inning. The Knights pushed across four more in the fourth, with Holly Buttrey’s ‘14 two-run double moving Carleton in front to stay. LaRose added a 3-for-3 game at the plate.
Unfortunately for the Knights, they could not keep the momentum from the victories against the Scots going into their next matchup against the College of Saint Benedict. On their trip to Rosemount, Minn on Wednesday, April 11, Carleton fell in both games of a doubleheader.