MOORHEAD, Minn. – The No. 19 Winona State softball team had to face two obstacles Monday – its on-field opponent as well as the sub-par weather conditions – but used a quick start to claim an 8-3 victory at a cold, windy and even snowy Nemzek Softball Field in Moorhead.
The weather, which got progressively worse throughout game one, was enough to force a cancellation of the second game of the scheduled doubleheader.
Despite the brisk conditions, the Warriors used hot bats to put a six-spot on the board in the first inning. The Warriors were the beneficiary of a fielding error that put
Reed Karsten on base with one out. That set up an
Ashley Walker triple – her fifth of the season – to plate Karsten and take a quick 1-0 lead. After a
Morgan Lintz walk,
McKenna Larsen scored Walker with an RBI single up the middle to make it 2-0.
The Warriors weren't done, as
Jessica Kullmann loaded the bases with a single to left field. That set up the second triple of the inning – this time from
Natalie Kalmes – to clear the bases and stake the Warriors to an early 5-0 advantage. The second error of the inning by Dragon third baseman Kristina Villalobos allowed
Allyson O'Herron to reach base and Kalmes to score an unearned run to open up the 6-0 lead before Walker even took the circle. The Warriors batted around in the inning, sending 10 to the plate.
The Dragons got one run back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double from Brittany York, but a passed ball from the Dragons in the third inning let Larsen score and put WSU up 7-1.
Another RBI double by the Dragons in the fourth inning made it 7-2, but again the Warriors got it back on an RBI single from Lintz in the sixth before a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh cut the lead to 8-3, but Walker struck out looking Lauren Meeker to end the game, and eventually the day.
Walker earned the win in the circle, going the distance and allowing nine hits and five walks but striking out six and giving up three runs. With the win, Walker improved to 18-3 on the season and pulling even in the win column with teammate
Hanna Lythberg.
As a team, the Warriors compiled 11 hits on the game while the Dragons were tagged with three errors.
Winona State continues its road swing Wednesday when it travels to NSIC-leader Augustana for a doubleheader at 3 p.m. in Sioux Falls.
