Through the first six innings junior pitcher Morgan Gunderson had only allowed three base runners as the Pumas beat Waterloo.
Gunderson got off to a shaky start by walking the leadoff batter in the first and giving up a single to follow. With runners on first and second and no outs the Pirates chose to play for a big inning but Gunderson would have nothing to do with that as she settled in and struck out the three and four hitters and coaxed a comebacker from the fifth hitter to end the inning.
She hit a batter with one in the second after striking out the first batter but sent the next two batters packing their bat back to the dugout, the first one looking at a called strike three and the next one swinging and missing. Gunderson then retired the next 13 batters.
The game was scoreless as the Pumas came to bat in the bottom of the fourth. Junior centerfielder Kassidy McCaffery lined a single just to the left of freshman pitcher Ally Shaumann and when Grace Gavinski perfectly placed a bunt that rolled between Shaumann and the first sacker there were two aboard. Gunderson then bunted to move those runners and was safe when the Pirate first sacker dropped the ball. With the bases loaded McCaffery was thrown out at the plate after a ground ball to shortstop. Rightfielder Karli Rivette then hit a liner into the gap in rightcenter to score Grace Gavinski and when freshman leftfielder Ayla Johnson hit a fly ball to left Gunderson scooted home on the sacrifice fly
In the top of the seventh the Pirates got a runner to first and bunted one that was just short of the outstretched glove of third sacker Maggie's Steinhorst's diving attempt. A two-run single broke up Gunderson's shutout but she fanned the next batter and when the #9 batter in the Pirate order tried to reach on a bunt, popped it just a bit higher than catcher Emma Gavinski's head where she then caught it to end the game.
Gunderson struck out a dozen and hit one with no free passes. Grace Gavinski led the Pumas in hitting going 3x4 while Syvrud was 2x4 with a double and home run and four rbi. Other Pumas getting safe hits were Mackey, Emma Gavinski, McCaffery, Gunderson with and rbi double, Rivette and Johnson.
The Pumas are off until a game on Tuesday at Diamond of Champions when Columbus invades.
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