ROCHESTER, Minn. – Junior Audrey Meade (Cedar Hills, Utah/Pleasant Grove) pitched a no-hitter against Blackburn College, as the Macalester College softball team opened the 2020 season with a split of two games at the Rochester Dome on Friday. Meade's gem came in a 7-1 victory over the Beavers and followed a 6-3 loss to Luther.

In the win over Blackburn, Meade walked six batters and allowed a run in the third inning on a walk, a stolen base, a wild pitch and a fielder's choice. But that's all Meade would yield, as the Beavers managed to hit just one fair ball to the outfield, a lineout to senior center fielder Julia Carpenter (Stevensville, Mich./Lakeshore) in the fourth. She fanned six batters and induced eight groundouts in the win.

Macalester scored a run in the first inning, when junior Kennedy Kechely (Rochester, Minn./Mayo) came home on an error. In the third, Kechely scored on a double by first year Jessica Katzin (Chicago, Ill./Jones College Prep), who later came home on a double by senior Kaeden Jackson (Seattle, Wash./James A. Garfield) for a 3-1 lead. The Scots broke the game open in the sixth, as first year Regan Brodine (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) hit a two-run double and later came home on a steal play, and Kechely plated Carpenter with a single for a 7-1 lead. Macalester totaled nine hits, including three doubles.

Against Luther, the Scots struck first with a run off an error in the top of the second inning. Luther responded with three runs in the second and two more in the third for a 5-1 lead. Sophomore Emily Bergin (Houston, Texas/St. Thomas Episcopal School) singled home Katzin in the fourth and Jackson hit a sacrifice fly to plate first year Joia Simonson (Pardeeville, Wis./Portage) in the fifth to pull within two runs, 5-3. But Elsa Skeie hit a solo home run in the fifth and Luther kept Macalester off the scoreboard the rest of the way to close out the win.

Simonson earned her first collegiate start and allowed six runs, two earned, on five hits and six walks while striking out four in six innings. Kendra Cooper went the distance for the Norse, giving up three runs, two earned, on four hits while fanning four.

The Scots will play four more games at the Rochester Dome next weekend, Mar. 7-8.