NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College softball team made the most of its final home games of the season with a doubleheader sweep of Northland College by the scores of 13-3 (five innings) and 11-2 (five innings).

In game one, sophomore shortstop Brittany Denn set a new MLC single-season record with her 17th double of the season. Denn broke the previous record of 16, set by Sarah Free during the 2011 season.

In game two, first-year first baseman Elena Hoffman tied the MLC single-season record with her eighth home run of the season. That ties Sara Willems, who also hit eight home runs during the 2014 campaign.

MLC 13, Northland 3 (5 innings)

MLC scored six runs in the first inning on the way to a 13-3 game-one win in five innings.

The Knights took control from the start, sending 12 batters to the plate on the way to the big first inning. Denn drove in the first run with her record-breaking double, and Hoffman and Jodi Halvorson also added RBI in the inning. 

MLC kept the pressure on after that, scoring twice in the second, once in the third, and capping the offensive breakout with four more runs in the fourth inning. 

That was more than enough for Rebecca Pruss (6-6), who held the LumberJills off the scoreboard in four shutout innings. Pruss allowed only three hits and didn't walk a batter on the way to the win.

Audrey Timm and Kayla Rosenbaum had strong games on senior day, finishing with two hits and two runs apiece. Rebecca Doering also added a pair of hits, while Hoffman hit her seventh home run of the season in the win.

MLC 11, Northland 2 (5 innings)

The Knights finished the sweep with an 11-2 win in five innings in game two.

After a scoreless first frame, MLC scored nine times in the second inning, capped by a Timm grand slam and a three-run home run from Hoffman later in the inning. Timm's home run was her fifth of the season.

MLC cruised from there, as Morgan Palubicki (3-12) pitched three shutout innings on the mound, while Alexis Stellick threw 1.2 scoreless innings in relief.

The Knights finished with only three hits, but took advantage of five Northland walks and four wild pitches. Denn finished with two hits and two runs scored, bringing her conference season to a close with a .536 batting average. 

MLC improved to 10-18 on the season and 6-10 in UMAC play following the sweep. Northland fell to 6-28 overall and 2-14 in conference play with the two defeats.

The Knights will close the season on Tuesday, April 30, when they travel to Viterbo for a non-conference doubleheader.