Grinnell College softball players Brianna Gallo '11 (left) and Amanda Stromquist '12 (center) have been named to the All-Midwest Conference South Division First Team for the 2009 campaign.

Gallo, a second baseman from Grinnell, Iowa (Grinnell HS), led the Pioneers in batting average (.340), runs scored (20), hits (33) and stolen bases (11). Her stolen base figure ranked third in the Midwest Conference. Gallo was second on the team in on base percentage (.402) and total bases (34).

Stromquist, who was the team's designated hitter in the latter stages of the season and also pitched, is from Minneapolis, Minn. (Southwest HS). She led the team in slugging percentage (.487), on base percentage (.407), doubles (7) and total bases (37). She also tied a school record with six RBIs in a win over Knox. As a pitcher, she had four of Grinnell's nine wins.

The Pioneers had one All-MWC South Second-Team selection in Kelsey Montgomery '11 (right), a first baseman from Cheyenne, Wyo. (Cheyenne Central HS). Montgomery led the Pioneers in RBIs (16), ranked second in doubles (6) and was third in total bases (32). She also recorded 224 putouts, third-best in the league.

The South Division Positional Player of the Year was Tracy Rainey of Lake Forest College, while Sarah Christensen of Monmouth College was tabbed Pitcher of the Year. Coach of the Year honors went to Joe Kinsella of Lake Forest.
2009 All-MWC Softball Release

The Grinnell College softball team saw its 2009 campaign come to a close on Tuesday, April 28, with a home doubleheader setback to Monmouth College.

Monmouth took the opener 4-0 to claim a spot in the Midwest Conference Tournament and then won the second game 7-0. Grinnell had runners in scoring position in each of the first two innings of the opener. Brianna Gallo '11 singled in the first and reached second base before the inning ended, and in the second inning Kelsey Montgomery walked, went to second on a single by Jayme Wiebold '12 and moved up to third on a groundout before Monmouth got out of the inning.

The Fighting Scots scored a run in the third and sixth innings for a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, Hannah Ney '11 and Kim Durinick '09 both singled with two out but were stranded. Monmouth added two insurance runs in the seventh inning.

In the second game, Amanda Murdock and Ellissa Sexton combined to throw a two-hitter for the winners. Monmouth scored once in the first inning and two runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth frames. Getting hits for Grinnell were Amanda Stromquist '12, who singled in the fifth inning, and Montgomery, who had a seventh-inning triple.
Game 1
Game 2

Due to the standing water on the field and impending storms, the Grinnell College softball doubleheader with Monmouth College has been postponed on Sunday, April 26.

The games will be made up in Grinnell on Tuesday, April 28, beginning at 3 p.m.

The Grinnell College softball team scored twice in the bottom of the seventh inning to force extra innings, only to give up seven runs in the top of the eighth as Lake Forest College posted an 11-4 win on the Pioneers' field Saturday, April 25.

Lake Forest then completed the sweep with an 11-3, five-inning win to take over sole possession of the Midwest Conference South Division lead. Lake Forest is now 8-3 in the league and has 12 overall points (teams get two points for beating a divisional foe and one for a non-divisional foe). Grinnell, at 6-5 in the MWC, is tied with Monmouth College with 10 points each.

Grinnell entertains Monmouth in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Sunday. If either team sweeps, it will advance to the MWC Tournament and the other team will be out. If the teams split, the team that wins the first game of the twin bill would advance via a tie-breaker.

In Saturday's opener, Lake Forest took a 1-0 lead in the first inning before Grinnell tallied two runs in the third. A wild pitch allowed Kim Durinick '09 to score, and Kelsey Montgomery '11 scored on the same play following an error. However, Lake Forest tied the game at 2-all in the fourth and took a 4-2 lead with two runs in the fifth.

In the bottom of the seventh, Brianna Gallo '11 and Hannah Ney '11 led off with infield singles before each moved up on Durinick's sacrifice. Montgomery (left) followed with a two-run single to right-center to tie the game. But that's all the closer Grinnell could get, forcing extra innings.

In the top of the eighth, Lake Forest scored seven runs on six hits, including a three-run homer by Shelby Neill. Gallo (right) led Grinnell's hitting attack with three hits, while Montgomery and Amanda Stromquist had two each.

The Pioneers appeared to be in good shape in the second game when they scored three runs in the top of the first. Stromquist knocked in one run with a single to center, while Jayme Wiebold '12 added an RBI double to right-center. Lake Forest came within 3-2 in the bottom of the frame and then erupted for six runs in the third on six hits and two errors.

The Foresters added two runs in the fourth on solo homers and ended the game with a run in the fifth. Stromquist managed two of Grinnell's five hits.
Game 1
Game 2

The Grinnell College softball team gave nationally-ranked Wartburg College all it could handle before the visiting Knights pulled away for a 5-1 victory on Thursday, April 23.

Wartburg, ranked 12th in NCAA Division III, then completed the sweep with a 13-0, five-inning win in the nightcap to improve to 34-4 on the season. Grinnell dipped to 9-18.

In the opener, pitcher Tess Cohen '09 (left) kept Wartburg off-balance for the first four innings as Grinnell was tied 1-1 at that point. After giving up a run in the top of the first, the Pioneers came back with a score in the bottom of the inning as Brianna Gallo '11 got an infield single before Kelsey Montgomery '11 (right) knocked her in with a double to deep right field.

The score remained the same until the Knights tallied two runs in the fifth inning and two more in the seventh. Besides Gallo and Montgomery, Grinnell also got a hit from Veronica Reavis '11 while Cohen fanned three in tossing a complete game. Amy Daniels was 4-for-4 for the Knights.

In the second game, Wartburg erupted for a 6-0 lead through the first two innings. The Knights tacked on six more runs in the fourth and another in the fifth. Grinnell managed one hit in the game, that coming from Jayme Wiebold '12 in the second inning. Emily Braem was 4-for-4 to spark the Knights' 16-hit attack.

The Pioneers have a huge weekend, to say the least, coming up when they host Lake Forest College and Monmouth College in twin bills on Saturday and Sunday. Grinnell is currently tied with Monmouth for the Midwest Conference South Division lead with Lake Forest right behind those two. The top two finishers in the division qualify for the MWC Tournament.
Game 1
Game 2

Grinnell College wrapped up the Midwest Conference Classic with a pair of setbacks on Sunday, April 19, in Janesville, Wis.

Grinnell lost a 4-1 decision to St. Norbert College and 9-1 to Ripon College to fall to 9-16 on the season. No statistics were immediately available.

The Pioneers are back in action on Thursday when nationally-ranked Wartburg College visits Grinnell for a twin bill, starting at 3 p.m.

Grinnell College's softball team won two of three games at the Midwest Conference Classic on Saturday, April 18, in Janesville, Wis.

The Pioneers topped Beloit College 5-2, as Tess Cohen '09 earned the pitching win, and then beat Lawrence University 10-7 as Amanda Stromquist '12 picked up the victory. The Lawrence win was Grinnell's sixth in a row.

Grinnell then finished the day with a 7-2 setback to Carroll University, with a five-run sixth inning helping the winners clinch the game. Statistics from the games were not immediately available.

Grinnell, 9-14 on the season, plays twice on Sunday, meeting St. Norbert College at 10 a.m. Sunday and Ripon College at noon.

The Grinnell College softball team kept its perfect Midwest Conference mark intact Saturday, April 11, with a pair of wins over Illinois College. The contests were held in Galesburg, Ill., since Illinois College's field was flooded.

The Pioneers won by scores of 8-0 and 6-4 to move to 4-0 in the league and 7-13 in all games.

In the opener, Tess Cohen '09 (left) fired a six-hit shutout while striking out nine batters and walking just two. Brianna Gallo '11 (right) had three of the Pioneers' 12 hits, and finished with six hits on the day. Grinnell got a run in the first via a wild pitch and added another in the third on Kim Durnick's 09 RBI single.

Grinnell broke the game open in the fifth with three runs, as Kelsey Montgomery '11 hit an RBI single and Hannah Ney '11 also had an RBI. In the seventh, Grinnell got RBI singles from Amanda Stromquist '12, Cohen, and Hannah LaFollette '11.

In the second game, Grinnell broke out to a 2-0 lead before falling behind 4-2. However, the Pioneers scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth for the win. Ney had an RBI triple in the first and Jayme Wiebold '12 knocked in another run with an RBI to make it 2-0.

Illinois College scored a run in the fourth and three in the fifth to go up by two runs. But in the bottom of the fifth, Montgomery had an RBI double and Wiebold an RBI single to tie things up. LaFollette and Gallo also contributed RBI doubles to finish off the scoring.

Stromquist was the winning pitcher, going six innings, while Cohen finished off the victory in the seventh.

Grinnell, 7-13 overall, heads to Janesville, Wis., to participate in the Midwest Conference Classic this Friday and Saturday.
Grinnell 8, Illinois College 0
Grinnell 6, Illinois Colege 4

The Grinnell College softball team started off Midwest Conference play in sparkling fashion on Friday, April 10, beating Knox in a twin bill at Galesburg, Ill.

The Pioneers won the opener 2-1 and the second game 11-2 as they improved to 2-0 in the MWC and 5-13 in all games. Knox is 0-2 in the league and 4-16 overall.

Kelsey Montgomery '11 (left) was 3-for-3 in the opener for Grinnell while Amanda Stromquist '12 had both RBIs. Tess Cohen '09 was the winning pitcher, scattering eight hits and fanning nine batters in tossing a complete game.

Grinnell scored once in the fourth inning and again in the sixth. In the fourth, Stromquist's RBI double scored Montgomery, who had singled. In the sixth, Montgomery singled to center, moved to second on a sacrifice by Jayme Wiebold '12 and scored when Stromquist reached base on an error.

Grinnell broke out to an 11-0 lead through two innings of the second game. Stromquist (right) had two hits, including a grand slam homer, and finished with six RBIs (which tied a school record) while also earning the pitching win. In the first, Kim Durinick '09 and Brooke Yoder '12 had RBI singles, Montgomery knocked in a run with a double and Stromquist scored two more with a double.

In the second, Stromquist blasted a grand slam homer to account for four runs while another was plated by Wiebold's bases-loaded walk. Knox scored twice in the third inning to account for the final score.

Grinnell plays another conference twin bill Saturday when it plays Illinois College. The contest has been moved to Galesburg due to flooding in Jacksonville. The first pitch is at noon.
Grinnell 2, Knox 1
Grinnell 11, Knox 2

The Grinnell College softball doubleheader at Illinois College has been moved from Jacksonville, Ill., to Galesburg since the IC field is flooded.

Start time for the first game is still slated for noon.

The Grinnell College softball team nearly knocked off Cornell College in the opening game of a twin bill Wednesday, April 8, taking the Rams to extra innings before losing 10-9. The hosts went on to sweep the doubleheader, winning the second game 9-1 in six innings.

Kim Durinick '09 (pictured) had the hot bat for Grinnell in the opener, going 3-for-3 at the plate with a pair of RBIs. Hannah LaFollette '11 added two hits.

Cornell shot out to a 7-0 lead through three innings, but the Pioneers got back into contention with a four-run fourth inning. LaFollette had an RBI single to left, Hannah Ney '11 forced in another run on a walk and Durinick belted a two-run single to center.

Cornell made it 8-4 in the sixth inning, but Grinnell was not close to giving in by erupting for four runs in the top of the seventh to force extra innings. LaFollette had an RBI double to left, Kelsey Montgomery '11 knocked in a run with a single to left and Jayme Wiebold '12 and Amanda Stromquist '12 drew bases-loaded walks to bring in the other two runs.

The Pioneers appeared to be on the verge of victory by scoring in the top of the eighth. Under the international tie-breaker, Tess Cohen '09 started the inning on second base, was sacrificed to third on a sacrifice bunt by Veronica Reavis '11 and scored on LaFollette's groundout. However, Cornell answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning to pull out the win.

Gallo had two of Grinnell's five hits in the second game, which saw the hosts go ahead 7-0 through four innings. The Pioneers got their lone run in the sixth on an RBI single by Reavis. Cornell finished off the win with two runs in the bottom of the inning.

Cornell improved to 14-10 with the wins, while Grinnell is now 3-13. The Pioneers travel to Galesburg, Ill., on Friday to face Knox College in a Midwest Conference doubleheader. First pitch is at 3 p.m.
Game 1
Game 2

The Luther College softball team showed why it's ranked among the top squads in the nation Thursday, April 2, by posting a pair of big wins over the host Grinnell College Pioneers.

The Norse, rated 17th in NCAA Division III, won the opener 26-0 on a cold and blustery day and followed that up with an 18-0 win to improve to 16-2 on the season. Grinnell fell to 3-11.

Grinnell appeared poised to shut down Luther in the first inning of the opener, but the Norse went on to score all seven of their runs after two were out. They scored twice in the second inning, four times in the fourth and 13 runs in the fifth for the win.

Anna Simonson had four of Luther's 25 hits. Grinnell managed two hits, an infield single by Amanda Stromquist '12 in the second inning and double by Brianna Gallo '11 in the third.

In the second game, pitcher Veronica Reavis '11 shut down Luther through the first two innings as the Norse led just 2-0 at that point. But they then erupted for nine runs in the third inning, five in the fourth and two more in the fifth. Bre Twait had four of Luther's 16 hits.

Brooke Yoder '12 had a single to right for Grinnell in the second inning before the Pioneers nearly scored in the fourth. Kim Durinick '09 singled to center to lead things off before being forced out at second. Jayme Wiebold '12 followed with a double to deep center, sending Kelsey Montgomery '11 to third. But both runners were stranded there.

Grinnell now has nearly a week off before going to Mount Vernon next Wednesday to face Cornell College.
Luther 26, Grinnell 0
Luther 18, Grinnell 0

Buena Vista University posted a pair of softball victories over Grinnell College on Wednesday, April 1, in Storm Lake.

The hosts won the opener 10-2 behind a 13-hit attack, and then posted a 9-6 win in the second game to improve to 6-12. Grinnell fell to 3-9.

In the opener, Hannah Ney '11 (pictured) had two hits for the Pioneers, including the Pioneers' first homer of the season. Grinnell trailed just 2-1 after scoring a run in the third inning when Brianna Gallo '11 scored an unearned run, but Buena Vista broke things open with a five-run outburst in the bottom of the frame.

Buena Vista built its lead to 8-1 in the fifth inning before Grinnell got a run when Ney homered. Buena Vista ended the game via the mercy rule with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Tess Cohen '09 suffered the pitching loss, giving up nine earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.

In the second game, it looked as if the Pioneers would taste victory after scoring six runs in the second inning to build a 6-2 lead. Grinnell had seven hits in the inning, including a three-run double by Ney and RBI singles by Veronica Reavis '11, Brooke Yoder '12 and Kim Durinick '09.

But Buena Vista countered with three runs in the third inning and took the lead for good with three more in the fifth. The Beavers tallied again in the sixth for the final margin. Cohen suffered the pitching loss in relief of Amanda Stromquist '12.

Grinnell is slated to be back in action again Thursday when another Iowa Conference team, Luther College, visits for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
Buena Vista 10, Grinnell 2
Buena Vista 9, Grinnell 6

The Grinnell College softball team pushed across a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to knock off Augustana College 4-3 in the latter's softball tournament on Saturday, March 28, in Moline, Ill.

Brianna Gallo '11 (pictured), who went 3-for-4 in the game and had half of the Pioneers' hits, led things off with a single to center field. She was sacrificed to second by Hannah Ney '11 before Kim Durinick '09 singled to center, which sent Gallo to third. An error on the play allowed Gallo to advance home with the winning run.

The Pioneers opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning when Gallo singled, went to second on a walk by Ney, took third on Durinick's sacrifice and scored when Darcy Ward '09 grounded out. Augustana tied the game in the top of the third before the Pioneers retook the lead in the bottom of the inning when Brooke Yoder '12 reached base on an error, moved to second on Gallo's single, took third on a sacrifice and scored on Ward's RBI.

Augustana went ahead 3-2 with two runs in the fourth, only to see Grinnell tie it with a run in the fifth as Gallo reached on an error, stole second and crossed the plate on Ward's double to left. That set up the Pioneers' big seventh inning that secured the win.

With the win, Grinnell improved to 3-6 on the season while Augustana dipped to 13-4. Tess Cohen '09 picked up the pitching win, scattering nine hits and striking out two. She is now 2-3 on the season.

Later in the day, Grinnell lost a 9-1 decision to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. The Pioneers are slated to play two games Sunday, facing Ripon College at 11 a.m. and Augustana again at 1 p.m.

The Grinnell College softball team wrapped up its spring break trip to California on an impressive note Friday, March 20, with a pair of victories at the Chapman Tournament.

The Pioneers opened the day by blasting La Sierra University 14-5 and then downed Hamilton University by a 3-1 score. The victories propelled to Grinnell to 2-6 on the young season.

Jayme Wiebold '12 (left) went 3-for-3 at the plate for the Pioneers against La Sierra, while Kelsey Montgomery '11 (center) added two hits and three RBIs. Winning pitcher Amanda Stromquist '12 scattered eight hits while going the distance. She struck out five.

Grinnell trailed 1-0 before tallying four runs in the third inning. Montgomery blasted a three-run double in the frame. La Sierra tied things at 4-all in the bottom of the inning before Grinnell essentially put the game away with a 10-run fifth inning. Grinnell had eight hits in the inning, including an RBI single by Darcy Ward '09 and run-scoring double by Stromquist, and also benefitted from four La Sierra errors. La Sierra scored once in the bottom of the inning to conclude the game.

Tess Cohen '09 (right) tossed a four-hitter and struck out five to spark Grinnell in its win over Hamilton. Montgomery had the hot bat, going 3-for-4, and started the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning. Hamilton tied it in the bottom of the first before the Pioneers struck for two runs in the third. Stromquist had an RBI single in the frame and Cohen an RBI double.

Grinnell has a week off before traveling to Augustana College next Saturday for the Vikings' tournament.
Grinnell 14, La Sierra 5
Grinnell 3, Hamilton 1

The Grinnell College softball team dropped its opening six games at the Chapman Tournament in California in recent days.

Most recently, on Thursday, the Pioneers fell 6-0 to Azusa Pacific and 14-2 to Holy Names. The Pioneers were hurt by three errors against Azusa Pacific, which led just 3-0 before scoring three times in the seventh inning. Kelsey Montgomery '11 (pictured) sparked Grinnell's offense against Holy Names with an RBI double in the third inning.

On Tuesday, the University of Puget Sound beat Grinnell 8-0 and Tufts, ranked 12th nationally, defeated the Pioneers by a 10-2 score. Against Tufts, Grinnell got its runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Jayme Wiebold '12 had an RBI in the fourth and an error allowed the Pioneers to score in the fifth.

The day before, Doane and Chapman both posted 8-1 wins over Grinnell. Brianna Gallo '11 had two hits against Chapman and the Pioneers scored their run in the game in the sixth inning on Montgomery's single. Grinnell scored in the third inning against Doane on a single by Darcy Ward '09.

Grinnell concludes the tournament Friday with contests against La Sierra and Hamilton.
Chapman 8, Grinnell 1
Doane 8, Grinnell 1
Tufts 10, Grinnell 2
Puget Sound 8, Grinnell 0
Azusa Pacific 6, Grinnell 0
Holy Names 14, Grinnell 2