WAVERLY, Iowa – Top-seeded and 24th-ranked St. Olaf scored seven times over the first two frames going on for a 11-3 victory in six innings over the sixth-seeded UW-Superior softball team in the opening game of the NCAA Waverly Regional at Lynes Field on Friday.
 
The Oles, who earned an at-large entry into the tournament field after falling in the MIAC championship, struck for two runs in the first inning, five in the second and four in the sixth. 
 
The Yellowjackets pushed back in the top of the fifth for three runs to make the game interesting before St. Olaf rallied to put the run rule into effect.
 
The loss puts UWS (22-15) into an elimination game against either 20th-ranked St. Thomas or Webster later Friday.
 
St. Olaf (25-6) got to Superior right-hander Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) early, knocking the UMAC tournament MVP out of the game after two innings. Maya Patty doubled with one out the bottom of the first and after a fly out, Hannah Matthies walked, putting a pair of runners on for Katie Weisheit, whose double found the right-center field gap, for a 2-0 lead.
 
The Oles expanded the lead in the second, using four hits and an error, sending 10 batters to the plate. Patty singled up the middle with one out to score Aly Bode who walked to start the frame. Next up, Kaleigh Santmyer shot a two-run single to left field, which Amanda Kishish (St. Francis, Minn./St. Francis) misplayed, allowing Santmyer to scamper to third. Matthies followed with a run-scoring single of her own to cap the uprising.
 
Kishish relieved Kraemer in the circle to begin the third, settling in to limit St. Olaf to four hits and three earned runs with four strikeouts over the final 3.2 innings.
 
UWS got on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth inning, cutting the deficit to 7-3 with an RBI single by Olivia Bancroft-Hart (Cambria, Wis./Cambria-Friesland), a sacrifice fly from Tiffany Kirk (McHenry, Ill./McHenry East) and a run-scoring base hit off the bat of Davriana Horvath (Esko, Minn./Esko). 
 
Kaela Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) started the rally with a first-pitch double to left field and Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) followed with a single off the glove of pitcher Carly Dammann and stole second. Bancroft-Hart then ripped the single to left and advanced to second on the throw home. Kirk then lifted a 1-1 pitch to center field that scored Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights). One batter later, Horvath pulled the 'Jackets within four with a base hit that plated Bancroft-Hart from third.
 
The Oles got an RBI double from Matthies, also plating a run on a hit from Jenna Peschel to make it 9-3. With the bases loaded, Kishish hit Tarah DeCroock and Patty to end the game.
 
Carly Dammann (3-1) got the victory in the circle with two innings of four-hit relief of Julie Graf. Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) absorbed the loss for UWS, giving up six hits and six earned runs.
 
Kaela Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) went 2-for-3 with a double, walk, run scored and two stolen bases out of the leadoff spot for the Yellowjackets. Patty, Matthies and Weisheit had two hits apiece for St. Olaf.