LEESBURG, Fla. – Behind strong pitching performances from Brynn Hostettler (FY, Northfield, Minn./Northfield HS) and Olivia O'Connor (SO, White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake HS), the Augsburg University softball team closed its spring break trip to Florida with a pair of victories over the University of New England and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on Thursday at The Spring Games at the Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex.

THE BASICS
SCORES: Augsburg 3, University of New England (Maine) 1; Augsburg 3, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts 1
LOCATION: Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex, Leesburg, Fla.
RECORD: Augsburg 5-6 overall, UNE 1-6 overall, MCLA 0-9 overall

UNE GAME HIGHLIGHTS
• O'Connor pitched a complete-game five-hitter for the Auggies in the win over UNE, striking out six while not allowing a walk.
• Augsburg scored all three of its runs in the first inning, taking advantage of three errors. Sabriya Passmore (JR, Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley HS) led off the game with a walk and eventually scored on an error. Katie Manecke (SO, Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) singled and came around to score on an RBI single by Torrie Rehder (FY, Goodhue, Minn./Goodhue HS), and Rehder scored after Zoie Johnson (FY, Carlton, Minn./Esko HS) reached base on an error. 
• Kayla Hanson (SR, St. James, Minn./St. James HS) had two hits for the Auggies in the win, with Manecke, Rehder, Johnson, Meredith Taylor (FY, Randolph, Minn./Randolph HS) and Grace Syson (SO, Oshkosh, Wis./Lourdes Academy HS) getting the other Auggie hits.
 
MCLA GAME HIGHLIGHTS
• Hostettler threw a gem for the Auggies in the second game, striking out 13 -- the most strikeouts for an Augsburg pitcher in a game since Sam Anderson had 16 in a 2019 game against Concordia-Moorhead -- while walking five and allowing just two hits. MCLA's lone run of the game, in the top of the seventh inning, was unearned.
• Augsburg opened the scoring with a run in the first inning, as Sara Deming (SR, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS) singled, stole second, and scored on an RBI single by Taylor.
• The Auggies scored twice in the fourth inning. Taylor led off the inning with a single, followed by a double by Rehder, and both scored on a two-run single by O'Connor.
• Deming and Taylor had two hits each for the Auggies, while O'Connor, Rehder and Libby Moore (FY, Springville, Iowa/Springville HS) also had base hits. 

FOR THE FOES
• Taylor Depot hit a triple and Abby Miner hit a double for UNE in the first game.
• Lora Woyton hit a double for MCLA in the second game.

UP NEXT
• Augsburg has a nonconference doubleheader at Northwestern-St. Paul next Thursday (3/24) at 4 p.m.