Pitcher Kendra Bowe guided the No. 16-ranked St. Thomas softball team to a 3-2 comeback victory over Carleton in game one Tuesday, earning her 10th win of the season.

The lingering winter weather again prompted a change in the softball team’s schedule. The doubleheader was originally scheduled to be played in Northfield, Minn., but was relocated to St. Paul.

With the win, the Tommies (23-5, 10-0 MIAC) extend their undefeated record in the MIAC.

Carleton (10-13, 5-5 MIAC) came out strong in the first game of the twinbill, jumping out to an early two-run lead.

Bowe, who was named the MIAC pitcher of the week Monday, conceded a walk and a single to the second and third batters of the game, followed by a wild pitch, allowing both Carleton base runners to advance into scoring position. The Knights were able to drive home one run in the first inning.

Carleton added another run in the second inning. Consecutive walks from Bowe prompted the St. Thomas coaching staff to call for an early visit to the mound.

“Our pitcher struggled right away for two innings,” coach John Tschida said. “We kind of talked her and said ‘settle down, it’ll come.’”

Bowe said she needed to take a step back and a deep breath to focus back on her game.

“My teammates will probably tell you I’m kind of a perfectionist,” Bowe said. “I know if (I had) a good game or not, and it’s just about making progress and getting better every game.”

The Tommies managed to limit the deficit to only two runs in the first two frames.

The Knights were able to maintain that lead until the bottom of the fourth thanks to freshman Keelin Davis’ strong pitching.

“(Carleton’s) pitcher did a really nice job of moving the ball around. She’s had some good games already,” Tschida said. “She had 15 strikeouts in their last game. So we knew she was having a good year so far. Our kids got themselves out a few times early on, but then (Davis) got them out.”

The Tommies finally took the momentum in the fourth inning when the defense retired three consecutive batters. Bowe contributed two strikeouts.

“It was a good job. (Bowe) stayed poised,” Tschida said.

St. Thomas continued its surge in the bottom of the fourth frame when sophomore McKenzie Wergin hit a double into the gap, allowing shortstop Kimmy Hassel and pinch runner Danielle Wigen to score, tying the score at two.

The Tommies took control of the game from there as their defense put out 11 of the next 12 Carleton batters and never let a runner advance into scoring position.

After St. Thomas threatened, but failed, to score in the bottom of the sixth inning and the first two batters failed to reach base in the bottom of the seventh, it appeared the game would be going to extra innings.

However, the next two Tommie batters drew a walk and singled to center, bringing Hassel to the plate with two outs. Hassel hit a scorching grounder to the left side of the infield, which Carleton’s shortstop could not handle, giving Hassel an infield single and loading the bases for junior Emily Gregory.

Gregory, who leads the team in home runs, was able to get a hold of an offspeed pitch from Davis, which she lofted over the Carleton middle infield and into shallow center field for a game-winning single.

Though the win wasn’t pretty, Gregory is happy her team can continue its winning ways, even when it doesn’t have strong games.

“It wasn’t my best at bat, but like coach always says, ‘Get things done even when it’s not your best day,’” Gregory said. “We’re just out there to compete. It wasn’t my best swing, but it got the job done.”

Tommies blank Knights in game two

After some late game heroics in the first game of the doubleheader, the Tommies stormed out to an early lead and never looked back in game two. Boosted by home runs from first baseman Erin Mussett and infielder Brenna Walek, St. Thomas cruised to a 9-0 win in only five innings.

The St. Thomas offense was able to give run support to pitcher Brianna Bannon, who pitched five scoreless innings.

“I think in the second game we had a lot better quality at-bats,” Mussett said. “People were swinging at pitches they could hit and they were getting better pitches in the second game.”

The Tommie batters made it a rough evening for Carleton’s pitcher Micaela LaRose and scored seven runs in the second inning.

The Tommies strung a few hits together and scored one run when Hassel came up to the plate with the bases loaded. With two outs, Hassel hit a deep fly ball to right field that soared over the outfielder’s head and dropped near the foul pole. Hassel used her speed to stretch the play into a triple, batting in three runs and putting the Tommies ahead 4-0.

The inning appeared to be over when Gregory hit a soft ground ball to the Carleton shortstop. However, a throwing error from the shortstop allowed Gregory to make it safely to first base and Hassel trotted home, putting the Tommies up 5-0.

Mussett kept the scoring barrage going when she homered to dead center field to cap off the seven-run inning.

The Tommies rolled the rest of the way as the Knights’ offense could not make a dent in the Tommie lead. Bannon, nicknamed “Breezy” by her teammates, breezed through the Carleton lineup over the next three innings.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, St. Thomas ended the game on a two-run homer from Walek, giving the Tommies their final 9-0 lead. The nine-run margin activated the eight-run mercy rule, ending the game after five innings.

Mussett said she’s pleased to have the offense clicking and looks forward to continuing her team’s success in the MIAC.

“The more at bats you get, the more confidence you get in general,” Mussett said.

The team is scheduled to play its next games Thursday with a doubleheader at St. Catherine’s.

Jacob Sevening can be reached at seve8586@stthomas.edu.