Ally Rutherford and
Katie Krauth of North Central Conference Softball Tournament champion Augustana College have been named the NCC Player and Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced today.
Rutherford, a freshman outfielder from Omaha, Neb., hit .500 (8-for-16) in six games last week as the Vikings posted a 5-1 record, including the NCC Tournament title.
Rutherford went 2-for-4 in a doubleheader split with Southwest Minnesota State before going 6-for-12 in the NCC Tournament.
Rutherford went 3-for-3 and scored a run in a first-round win over North Dakota. In the Vikings' final two victories, both over Nebraska-Omaha, Rutherford collected the game-winning RBI. In the winner's bracket final matchup, she lined a bases loaded single to give the Vikings an early 1-0 lead.
Then in the championship game, Rutherford blasted a 3-run home run in Augie's 3-1 win. In the second inning she also threw out a UNO runner at third base.
Krauth was masterful on the mound, going 5-0 on the week, including 4-0 in the NCC Tournament. After beating SMSU 4-2, Krauth pitched every inning in the NCC Tournament.
In 4 games, Krauth allowed 16 hits and 5 walks while striking out 31 hitters. She shut out North Dakota 2-0, St. Cloud State 3-0 and UNO 2-0 before edging the Mavericks 3-1 in the championship game.
Krauth nearly notched a fourth shutout. UNO scored its run with 2 outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. In addition, Krauth came close to tossing a no-hitter against St. Cloud State. She lost her no-hit bid with 2 outs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
In the process, Krauth set an NCC Tournament record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched (27 2/3) and tied the mark for shutouts (3).
