The Norse secured a sweep over Grinnell College for their 11th victory in a row, while simultaneously securing a spot in the Iowa Conference tournament, beating Grinnell 8-0 and 11-0 in 10 total innings.

Game one saw the Norse produce eight runs on 12 hits, scoring five runs in the first inning and three in the second. Ashley Hoffman (‘08), Danielle Armbruster (‘09) and Jackie Miller (‘09) were credited with two RBI each.

Shallyn Duffy (‘08) had an impressive performance in the circle, allowing just one hit in a complete-game shutout. Duffy improved to 9-3 on the season.

In game two, a three-run third inning and a four-run fourth inning blew the contest wide open.

Kayla Denner (‘10) drove in three runs, while Tami Magner (‘08) and Armbruster both drove in two. Tiffany Kruse (‘10) hit a solo shot to left field in the third, her seventh of the season.

Kim Hess (‘09) also made school history, setting the single-season record for stolen bases with her 20th of the year. Hess broke the old mark of 19 held by Holly Wendt (‘00), set in 2000.

Perhaps the biggest story of the game was Kim Lambert’s (‘10) dominant pitching performance. Lambert faced 16 batters and struck out 11, giving up just one hit without allowing a walk. Lambert improved to 9-2 on the season.

Luther also set two team records in the series. The two shutouts tied the school record for shutouts in a single season with 15. The Norse also broke the single-season record for stolen bases with 54. The old mark was 52, set in 1990.

The wins over Grinnell came after a 19-3 win over the University of Wisconsin-Stout and two shutout victories over Loras College, 1-0 and 5-0.

BreAnn VanDeer (‘09) tossed a three-hit shutout in game one against Loras, while Lambert finished off the Duhawks with a two-hit, 10-strikeout performance. Lambert has a 0.74 ERA for the season.

The Norse now sit at 26-7 for the season and 9-3 in the conference. Luther will wrap up the regular season when it hosts Central College April 26.

Men’s tennis secures No. 1 seed in IIAC tournament

Luther wrapped up the No. 1 seed for the Iowa Conference tournament after posting an 8-1 victory over Central College, as well as defeating Grinnell College 5-4.

In the Central contest Luther won five of six singles matches and swept the doubles competition en route to the victory.

Posting victories in singles was Sam Burman (‘11), Jared Wiklund (‘08), Reid Mason (‘08), Matt Olson (‘08) and Mark Mateski (‘10). Burman, Wiklund and Mateski were victorious in three sets, while Mason and Olson posted straight-set wins.

The Grinnell match was much harder fought, with the Norse dropping two of three doubles matches but winning four of six singles contests.

Harry Whiteley (‘11), Utsab Rijal (‘10), Tim Eisele (‘11) and Brad Nelson (‘08) each recorded singles victories while Rijal and Nelson took the lone doubles victory.

The Norse next move to postseason play when they head to Cedar Rapids for the Iowa Conference tournament April 24-26.

Baseball stops losing streak, takes Central series

Luther stopped its three-game skid with a series victory over Central College, handing the Dutch two losses in three games.

The Norse came out in game one with their bats on fire, jumping out to an 11-0 lead after only five innings.

Central scored four runs in the ninth inning but was unable to push across any more runs, falling 12-8.

Jeff Hiatt (‘08) was 5-for-5 at the plate, drove in three runs and scored twice. Jake Waddle (‘09) was a double shy of hitting for the cycle going 3-for-4 with four RBI, scoring three times.

Jeff Riddle (‘10) was 3-for-5, scored three times and stole two bases. Alex Ross (‘08) was 3-for-4 and scored three times.

Joe Nelson (‘08) pitched six and a third solid innings, before Max Flaig (‘10) took over for the final two and two-thirds innings. Nelson allowed four runs on seven hits, walked four and struck out four. Flaig allowed four runs on five hits, walked two and struck out one. Nelson took the win improving to 2-1.

The Norse bats went silent in the second game and Luther was unable to score en route to an 8-0 loss. Starting pitcher Nate Todd (‘09) allowed all eight runs, but only one was actually earned as the Norse committed three errors.

In the rubber match, the Norse bats woke up, producing eleven hits and seven runs including an impressive six-run second inning, and winning 7-5.

Paul Pichelmann (‘09) was credited with the win after four innings and exiting the game with the two-run lead. Cody Hyland (‘10) picked up the save with three solid innings of work in relief, allowing just one hit and striking out four.

Steve Beckman (‘11) and Joe Thompson (‘11) were both 2-for-3 and drove in two runs. Ross, Waddle and Ben Schott (‘10) were credited with an RBI each.

The series win comes on the heels of a close series loss to nationally ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, as well as a loss to Simpson College.

Luther currently sits at 5-7 in the Iowa Conference and 11-13 overall.

The Norse next travel to the University of Dubuque April 25-26 before hosting Martin Luther College (Minn.) April 29.

Women’s tennis drops heartbreaking finale

Luther lost a hard fought 5-4 decision to Coe College in the finals of the NCAA III National Qualifier in Cedar Rapids, ending the season for the Norse. The tournament determined which team from the Iowa Conference would appear in the National Tournament.

Luther took two of three doubles points with an 8-5 win by Alana Humpal (‘11) and Katie Nichols (‘11) and an 8-6 win by Kelsie Allen (‘08) and Amy Christenson (‘08).

Coe pulled ahead in the match thanks to straight-set wins at the top three singles positions, giving the Kohawks a 4-2 lead. The Norse evened the score at 4-4 as Allen captured a 7-6, 6-1 win and Fran Fairfield (‘11) completed a three-set victory.

The match came down to Christenson, who owned a 30-love lead at 5-4 in the third set but was unable to finish off the victory, falling 7-5.

This was the third consecutive time that Coe and Luther have played to a 5-4 decision in a tournament setting. The schools also met in the 2006 IIAC Tournament semifinals and last fall’s IIAC Tournament final. All three matches were won by the Kohawks.

Coe and Luther advanced to the finals after each school posted 5-0 victories in the semifinal matches. The Kohawks topped No. 4 seed Wartburg, while Luther downed No. 3 seed Central.

The Norse finish the season with a record of 28-7.

Information compiled in part from Luther College Sports Info.