MANKATO, MINN.— Getting an early start to the season, the Central College softball team defeated St. Catherine University (Minn.) 5-3 and Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) 8-3 Saturday.
           
Playing at the Bethany Lutheran Invitational inside the Mankato Dome, Central (2-0) took four innings to score but woke up in a big way in the bottom of the fifth in the opener against St. Catherine. Katelyn McCallum's (junior, Snohomish, Wash., Glacier Peak HS) pinch-hit single drove in a pair of runs to start the scoring.
           
Jadyn Huisman (sophomore, Treynor) followed with an RBI single before Sarah Stufflebeam (junior, Macomb, Ill.) closed out the five-running inning with a two-RBI double. All five of Central's runs were scored in the fifth inning.
           
Huisman was the winning pitcher, working all seven innings with three earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out three.
           
Leadoff hitter Rylee Dunkin (junior, Hamilton, Twin Cedars HS) was 2-for-3 in the second game, scoring twice and driving in two runs. She reached base two other times via walk. Stufflebeam added a second double while Huisman had two more hits.
           
Ella Morse (freshman, Tucson, Ariz., Sabino HS) was the winning pitcher working 3.2 scoreless innings of relief. She allowed just one hit and two walks while facing 15 batters.
           
Central is scheduled to have its home opener on Friday, March 6 at 2 p.m. in a doubleheader against Westminster College (Mo.).