HOME, SWEET HOME: Norse Sweep Finlandia U.

Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos taken by Brad Landis. Also click to listen to comments from Rachael Winkel and Coach Ross Rahoi.

ESCANABA---After playing their first 36 games on the road, the Bay College Norse finally got to play some softball at home on Sunday. And the Norse picked up a doubleheader sweep over the Finlandia University Lions, 3-0 and 7-4, under sunny, breezy conditions in Wells.

"Oh, God, it feels so good to actually be on our own field, and to be outside, after being in a dome so muc," Norse pitcher Rachael Winkel said. "We haven't actually practiced out on our field yet so it's still kind of new, but just being out on the dirt, it just feels great. Having people coming here, it's a big push for us to do our thing."

"It was nice to not have to worry about traveling," Norse manager Ross Rahoi said. "For them to be able to play at home in front of their home crowd, and some family members from Canada came down and it made an easy trip for them. It was a great day."

Westwood High School graduate Karlie Patron was in control in the opener, as she pitched a complete-game four-hit shutout, striking out seven FinnU batters along the way.

"Karlie is fun to watch because she's not going to be somebody who's going to be super-fast and try to throw it past you," Rahoi said. "She's going to spin it really well and hit her spots. We've had a couple of games this year with her, six, seven, eight games, where she's pitched seven innings where she's had 75 or fewer pitches."

Bay scratched across single runs in each of the first three innings and Patron did the rest in the citcle. Winkel had two singles and a double offensively for the Norse, and Kristin Goodacre added a single and a double. C.C. Pilon added a pair of bunts: one for a hit, and the other was a sacrafice.

In the second game, Winkel was in command in the circle, throwing five innings of one-hit, two-walk softball. She struck out seven batters, and she added an RBI single at the plate as the Norse built a 5-0 lead. Two of the Bay runs in the first inning came home on aggressive baserunning on a Natalie Belanger groundout, and McKenna Bullen had an RBI single.

So what was working for Winkel pitching-wise?

"Probably the curveball," she said. "The wind was pushing a lot of stuff, so that was helpful. But just having a big strike zone weas super-nice, compared to some of the tight ones we've had the past weeends."

But in the sixth inning, Rahoi decided to remove Winkel and give Jamison Ness a shot at pitching. Ness struggled to find the strike zone, walking five batters. Four of them scored, with an error and wild pitch, as well as a double steal, bringing the Lions to within 5-4,

Winkel was brought back into the circle and she finished it off, giving up one hit but getting the final four outs. And in the bottom of the sixth inning, Sarah Wynn smacked a two-run single to give Winkel and the Norse some cushion heading into the final inning.

Wynn had four hits in the doubleheader, and was robbed of a fifth on a diving catch by Lions center fielder Rheanna Bain.

"She's been tremendous for us the last two years," Rahoi said of Wynn. "I'm really proud of her. Power-wise, even bat-control wise. And she plays a tremendous shortstop for us, one of our captains. She has some of the softest hands I've ever seen for someone her age."

Finlandia pitcher ShyAnn Vernham threw both games. She allowed three runs (two earned) on nine hits in the opener. She also allowed nine hits in the second game, with seven runs (three earned). Vernham threw strikes, walking only one batter in the entire doubleheader.

Elizabeth Ayala had two hits for FinnU in the first game, and Malone Heibert had a double in the nightcap. But the Lions, an NCAA-Division Three team, fell to 0-26 on the season.

Bay College improved to 23-15 on the season in NJCAA Division Two.

The Norse wrap up their quick homestand with another doubleheader on Monday against Milwaukee Area Technical College (9-13). Game time is 4:00 ET/3:00 CT. Listen to both games on FM-93.5 and AM-600 in Escanaba, and on the Iron Mountain west campus on AM-1450. Also listen on-line at www.rrnsports.com.