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May 6, 2000
Knights fall to ScholasticaBy BOB VARMETTE Journal Sports Writer NEW ULM -- The quickest way to lose is to beat yourself. You can do it with errors. You can do it with attitude. After advancing past Northland in the first round, Martin Luther fell 8-3 to top-seeded St. Scholastica in the second round Friday of the NAIA Northern Sectional Softball Tournament at MLC Field. What made the loss even more disappointing was the Knights were only down 4-2 after picking up a pair of runs in the sixth. "I brought that up with the gals a little bit, about being intimidated," MLC coach Barb Leopold said. "Some of them felt that St. Scholastica was really going to be a great team. Although I can't take away from their play ... I don't think they're that far above any of the other teams here." In the fourth-seeded Knights' first-round game, MLC decisioned Northland 11-3 in five innings. The game was called on the eight-run rule. The Knights picked up only three hits in the first game. MLC (10-23-1) got only four hits in the game against the Saints. CSS pitcher Azur Buczynski (4-6) got the win. Buczynski allowed only one earned run in going the distance. "She threw a lot of outside pitches," MLC right fielder Carla LaBair said. "You really had to stand up in the box. That's one thing I did that maybe the others didn't do." The junior was the only Knight to get more than one hit off Buczynski. LaBair went 2-for-4 with a run scored. "She was a really smooth pitcher," LaBair said. "So it was easy to see her pitches. She didn't have a lot of movement. She just placed her pitches really well." Buczynski held the Knights hitless until the top of the fourth when LaBair lofted a single to center, and held the Knights scoreless until the sixth when MLC got a pair of runs. LaBair singled to lead off the sixth and later scored on a Kelly Gawrisch groundout. Gena Schwartz also scored for MLC after reaching on one of three CSS errors in the inning. The Knights added their final run in the seventh when Schwartz singled in Sarah Scharf, who had reached on the Saints' fourth error of the game. CSS (18-17) picked up a lone run in the bottom of the first and then added three in the third on a pair of hits and an MLC error. The Saints added four runs in the sixth on a pair of hits, including a two-out triple to right by Stef Halverson that scored Laura Bruggemeier. Halverson went 2-for-2 and Behning was 2-for-3 and scored three runs. "I had some extra nerves," Scharf said. "We were playing the No. 1 team in our conference and this is a tournament. I thought I was not as consistent as I should have been." Scharf (4-5) allowed seven earned runs on seven hits in seven innings. She walked six without a strike out. In the first game against Northland (0-10), Renee Schiller picked up two of the three Knight hits. The sophomore left fielder went 2-for-2 with two RBI and two runs scored. Schiller doubled to lead off MLC's first inning. Lumberjills pitcher Megan Eckhardt then walked eight of the next 10 Knight batters, including three walks with the bases loaded. Two other Knights scored on wild pitches. But once Eckhardt (0-3) got past the first, she allowed only one baserunner in each of the next three innings. That and some solid defense from Northland kept the Knights off the scoreboard until the fifth. "We played better than we have been playing," Northland coach Heather Doty said. "We're making improvements, but we're just not where we need to be. We've struggled with our pitchers all year long." Schwartz (2-8) got the win for MLC. She yielded one earned run on two hits, striking out seven and issuing four walks. MLC will play Northwestern (Roseville) in a third-round game at 10:30 a.m. today at Harman Park. The winner will advance to play the loser of the 10:30 a.m. CSS-Mount Senario contest at 1 p.m. today at MLC Field in the double-elimination tournament. 1st Game NORTHLAND 001 02 -- 3 2 1 MLC 700 04 -- 11 3 3 Two out when game called on eight-run rule. Eckhardt and Schutt. Schwartz and Meyer. W--Schwartz, 2-8. L--Eckhardt, 0-3. HRs--None. 2nd Game MLC 000 002 1 -- 3 4 1 CSS 103 004 x -- 8 7 4 Scharf and Meyer. Buczynski and Johnson. W--Buczynski, 4-6. L--Scharf, 4-5. HRs--None.
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