Knights rock Rams in doubleheader rout
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NEW ULM -- Behind a drove of red-hot hitters, the Martin Luther College Knights were North Central University's "Knightmare" once again.
The Knights racked up 34 total hits Tuesday afternoon as they rolled to a pair of wins over the Rams in an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference softball doubleheader at MLC.
The Knights earned a 10-2 win in Game 1 before running by the Rams 25-4 in a five-inning Game 2 to end the day with the sweep.
The 25 runs were the most runs scored by an MLC softball team since 2016, when the Knights earned a 30-1 win in Minneapolis. That win also came against the Rams.
In the Game 2 win, MLC junior Jordyn Heckendorf put the scorekeepers to work with her 5-for-5 day at the plate, which included a leadoff homer to start the game.
Heckendorf, last week's UMAC Softball Player of the Week, also finished Game 2 with two doubles, four RBIs and three runs scored.
Heckendorf's success this season, especially recently, can be chalked up to simply putting in the work.
"Giving your all, 100% each day at practice, you never take a rep off," she said. "And really making sure that you step up to the plate and just rely on that practice. I've done it before, so I try not to go in the box with pressure, just do what I do and honestly just have fun. I'm playing the game because I love the game."
Senior Lexi Fischer also had a big Game 2 for the Knights, going 4 for 5 with a double, three RBIs and three runs scored.
"It was super fun," Fischer said. "We don't get a lot of these games, so just getting everyone going, I think probably everyone had it in their bat, so it was a total team effort."
Also in Game 2 for MLC, Amelia Thiel was 4 for 5 with two RBIs and five runs scored, while Lisa Hoffer was 3 for 5 with a grand slam and four runs scored, Emmalee Mindock was 3 for 5 with four RBIs, two doubles and two runs scored and Katelyn Rassat was 2 for 4 with a triple and three runs scored.
Jessica Horn got the Game 2 win in five innings, giving up eight hits and no walks for four earned runs while striking out three. She also got the Game 1 win in all seven innings, striking out a career-high six batters and allowing seven hits and no walks for two earned runs.
In the Game 2 blowout, Heckendorf's leadoff homer to left field kicked off a six-run first inning for the Knights that included a pair of two-run singles from Fischer and Mindock.
A 13-run second inning, highlighted by Hoffer's grand slam, put the Knights up 19-0 after two innings. A double by Delaney Riddle and a three-run homer by Aurora Pettyman, both in the third, got the Rams their runs in the game before the Knights got five runs back in the fourth.
The five-run fourth was started and highlighted by a Heckendorf RBI double.
Heckendorf was also one of the leaders for the Knights at the plate in Game 1, going 2 for 3 with an RBI and a double. Britney Prahl was 2 for 2 with a homer, three RBIs and two runs scored also for the Knights in Game 1, while Hannah Ott doubled and drove in three runs.
"Our team's camaraderie is just amazing," Fischer said. "Like, when someone's down, we pick each other up, we just keep rolling and I think that's just awesome to be a part of. Not a lot of teams have that."
The Knights, now 9-22 overall and 6-13 in the conference, got some much-needed confidence back on Tuesday after dropping three games over the weekend in Morris at a UMAC Crossover.
While the season has had its ups and downs so far, Heckendorf said Tuesday's doubleheader win was a credit to the coaching staff and first-year head coach Becca Doering.
"I think it's a big reflection of the amazing coaching staff that we have," Heckendorf said. "I think she's [Doering] done a great job with us and we have a lot of buy-in with the team, so it makes us just want to work that much harder. So it's so exciting that not only just for the program, but to put MLC on the map and just show that hard work does pay off."
The Rams fell to 2-23 on the season overall and 0-17 in the conference with the two defeats.
The Knights trek to Gustavus Adolphus College next for a nonconference doubleheader beginning at 3:30 p.m. Thursday. The Gusties are 21-17 overall and will certainly be a big step up in competition for the Knights.
"The biggest thing is just staying present, in the moment," Heckendorf said. "Letting this energy carry over with us, we use it as a fuel … but then we've just got to -- one pitch at a time, one play at a time, whether it's in the field, at the box, in the dugout cheering on our teammates, and staying energetic but also just staying super loose. We are our best when we're supporting each other and just having fun. We've really just got to be in the moment."