Game 1

Ft. Myers, Fla. – The Viking softball team won their first game of the season, but has dropped the following three during spring training.  

Bethany Lutheran started out hot defeating Olivet 9-1 in the first match-up. In her first start as a Viking Kyla Schapekahm (New Prague, Minn./New Prague) also finished the game pitching seven innings giving up six hits and one earned run. She threw four strikeouts and three walks.

Bethany Lutheran’s runs came towards the end of the game. In the fourth Amanda Edmison (Mayer, Minn./Watertown-Mayer) batted in Schapekahm on a sacrifice fly out to left field, then in the sixth Jonnica Norell (St. Peter, Minn./St. Peter) scored on a throwing error. The seventh is where the Vikings did the most damage when Shannon Grimmer (Woodbury, Minn./Hill-Murray) started things off with a single to left field. Kourtney Peterson (Waseca, Minn./West Lutheran) hit a sacrifice bunt to advance Grimmer. Another single put runners on first and third. Schapekahm singled to center field and Gimmer scored. A few more key hits and Ashley Jensen (Delano, Minn./West Lutheran) came up to the plate to bat in two more. Later in the inning Jaimee Goebel (Danvers, Ill./Olympia) single to center field and advanced to second on the throw to record two more RBIs. Kelsey Pekarna (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) double putting in another run, she later scored unearned due to a fielding error. A total of seven more runs were scored finalizing the score 9-1.

The other three games the Vikings have played so far have resulted in losses. Anna Maria got the better of Bethany Lutheran resulting in a 1-3 loss for the Vikings. Suny Potsdam and Bridgewater State also defeated the Vikings 5-15, and 2-7 respectively.

Bethany Lutheran will take the field again tomorrow to face-off against Ohio Wesleyan and Worcester Polytechnic.