Senior pitcher Kiersten Anderson-Glass threw four strikeouts, leading the St. Thomas softball team to beat St. Catherine 5-1 in the first game of the MIAC postseason.
The 4th seeded Tommies (25-8) held the 5th seeded Wildcats (21-12) scoreless until the seventh inning, when the Wildcats were able to earn one run. Coach John Tschida, who just celebrated his 1,000th career win for the Tommies, said that the team’s biggest strength this game were the four double plays turned by the Tommies.
“They’re not just four double plays,” Tschida said. “They are four double plays that were earned. They worked hard to get efficient.”
In the second inning, a batting order mishap cost the Tommies’ an out. However, they were able to bounce back quickly by scoring one run in the third inning and two more in the fourth. Anderson-Glass said that a key part of the Tommies’ success today was the team’s close bond.
“We were playing our hearts out. We’re one big family, and we all play for each other,” Anderson-Glass said. “We always say play for the team, not for yourself, and that’s a big part of our culture.”
In the sixth inning, first-year infielder Katie Goelz scored one run after hitting a double. This was Golez’s first and last time playing in the MIAC playoffs.
“It’s exciting,” Golez said. “We just think of all the hard work that’s been put in the past few years from Tommie softball, and it’s awesome that we’re the team that can go out and show everything we’ve got.”
Tschida said that going into the next game, the Tommies will need to stay poised and focused.
“Don’t look in the future, don’t look in the past, just stay present,” Tschida said.
The Tommies will face off against Bethel (26-8) at 5 p.m. tomorrow at St. Olaf in the second round of the MIAC championships.
Owen Larson can be reached at lars6521@stthomas.edu.