WINONA, Minn. – The No. 22 Winona State softball team cruised to an 8-0 six-inning victory in game one before falling 3-2 in game two Saturday afternoon at sunny Alumni Field.
The Warriors used power ball in game one to storm out to an early lead and give head coach Greg Jones his 600th career victory in the process. Reed Karsten smacked an 0-2 pitch over the center field wall in the first inning to put WSU up 1-0 and two batters later Morgan Lintz followed suit with a towering two-run home run to right center to plate Ashley Walker and put the Warriors up 3-0 early.
WSU kept the big bats going in the third inning as freshman McKenna Larsen sent one over the right field fence to again score Walker and make it a 5-0 lead after three.
Karsten added an RBI single up the middle in the fourth to up the lead to 6-0 and the Warriors finished off the game in the sixth when Karsten smacked a patented RBI double to right center field to cap off a three-hit, 3 RBI day. Karsten later scored on a fielder's choice that resulted in a throwing error to give the Warriors the 8-0 win.
Walker was dominant and in command on the mound in the opener, tossing a complete game two-hit shutout to improve her record to 14-3 on the season. The senior, after surrendering back-to-back singles in the first inning, got out of the jam and did not allow a batter to reach base the rest of the game.
The Warriors jumped out to an early lead again in game two, but were unable to hold on after three unearned runs in the sixth inning to hand WSU its first conference defeat of the season.
Natalie Kalmes opened the scoring for Winona State in the second inning when a double down the left field line plated Lintz for a 1-0 lead.
WSU would hold the slim lead until the fifth when Karsten recorded an RBI with a fielder's choice that brought home Shannon Nelson to make it 2-0.
Things went awry for the Warriors in the sixth inning however, as starter Hanna Lythberg was tagged for three unearned runs to put Mary out front. The trouble started when a Lythberg strikeout was misplayed by the catcher Kullmann and allowed Mary batter Nena Dudley to reach base. A similar play happened three batters later when a strikeout led to a misplayed ball by the catcher that allowed Dudley to score and extend the inning. Mary took advantage as a single down the line in the next at bat scored two runners and gave the Marauders a 3-2 lead and held on for the victory.
Lythberg (15-4) suffered the loss despite a complete game seven strikeout performance where she gave up just four hits with no earned runs and no walks allowed.
Winona State (31-8) closes out a 10-game homestand Sunday with a doubleheader against Minot State scheduled for a noon first pitch at Alumni Field.
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