Riverland softball clinches division

Published 12:00 am Friday, May 2, 2003

The Riverland softball team completed its quest of revenge against Rochester by sweeping the season series with the Yellow-jackets to clinch the MCCC South Division title Thursday night in Rochester.

The Devils rolled to consecutive 10-2 victories, powered by 35 hits in the twinbill. The division title is the third straight for Riverland.

"It clinched the title for us, so that's pretty exciting for us at this point of the season," said Riverland coach Lisa Quednow-Bickler. "Today was a pretty good hitting display for us."

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Pitchers Marissa Kelsey and Abbey Bergstrom both went the distance in respective wins. Kelsey struck out four, walked three and allowed five hits. Bergstrom struck out five, walked a pair and scattered eight hits.

Beth Harsma was 5-for-6 in the doubleheader, highlighted by a three-run triple in the opener. Hannah Tvedt was 4-9 and Sarah Moore was 5-8 with two doubles, a triple and four RBIs.

Katie Berg's 4-4 performance, including a double and two RBIs, highlighted the second game. Melanie Gabrielson drove in three runs in the opener with a pair of hits.

Riverland was recently knocked out of the NJCAA's top 10 despite upping its record to 19-6 overall and 16-2 in the division. The Lady Blue Devils debuted in the national spotlight with a No. 10 ranking in last week's Division III softball poll.