MANKATO, MINN.—The Hamline University softball team begin their season with a 2-0 record with a 4-2 victory over Bethany Lutheran, and a 10-2 decision over Martin Luther at the Mankato Dome on Sunday morning.

Hamline 4, Bethany Lutheran 2

Pipers starting pitcher Gracie Bond returned to the pitching circle after missing all of last season to injury. Bond notched three strikeouts, allowed three hits and zero earned runs over four complete innings. 

Her run support occurred in the opening frame when Jenna Rubbelke hit an infield single, moved to second on Elena Martinez's sacrifice bunt, stole third, and scored off Savannah Johnson's double to give Hamline a 1-0 lead. 

Deja vû took place in the third inning, as it started with Rubbelke's bunt single and Martinez's sacrifice bunt. Rubbelke moved to third on Josephine Cariveau's single before she widened the score to 2-0 when Johnson reached on an error. 

Bond allowed her first career run in the fourth inning, which narrowed Hamline's lead to 2-1. 

Savannah Johnson led off the sixth inning with a hit by pitch, and was replaced at first by McKenna Kulp. Gabby Tuhy's single followed by back-to-back fielder's choices from Maddie Johnson and Kiana Island sent Kulp home to make the score 3-1.

The Vikings responded with a run in the bottom half of the sixth, which got them within 3-2 of Hamline. The seventh frame saw the Pipers turn a Vikings two-out error into a run. It culminated in Tuhy's single that scored Cariveau, who reached on an infield error, and pushed Hamline's lead to 4-2.

Jenna Rubbelke went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while Savannah Johnson and Tuhy each went 2-for-3 with an RBI. 

Montana Miller and Natalee Boelk combined to give up four hits, one run, and one walk over the final three innings.

Kaija Mork was the lone Bethany Lutheran multi-hit performer with a 2-for-3 outing.

Hamline 10, Martin Luther 2

Hamline led from start-to-finish, which included three-runs in the first and fourth innings. 

The offense resulted in a 16-9 hits advantage for the Pipers, who got three-hit performances from Martinez and Tuhy. Martinez had two RBI and one run scored, while Tuhy scored two runs and had one RBI. 

Josephine Cariveau's 2-for-3 outing included a double, two runs scored, and two RBI. Mikenna Johnson had two hits and two runs while Abbey Herbert and Lainey Wier also each had two hits.

Natalee Boelk, who was credited the win, and Montana Miller combined to allow nine hits, two runs, and notch two strikeouts over six frames.

The Pipers will return to Mankato next Sunday, February 25. They'll face UW-Stout at 10:30 a.m., and Buena Vista at 3:30 p.m.