WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State softball team opened its 2015 home slate in convincing fashion, earning a doubleheader sweep of NSIC foe Minnesota Duluth by scores of 6-2 and 11-3 Friday afternoon at Alumni Field.

The Warriors, after blasting four home runs in a midweek sweep of Wayne State, kept the bats alive Friday, hitting three more in the pair of victories. The first came off the bat of Jessica Kullmann, a solo shot to left field in the third inning of game one to give the Warriors a 1-0 advantage.

WSU starter Ashley Walker, meanwhile, was dominant in the circle through the first three innings, allowing just one hit. The Bulldogs finally got to Walker in the fourth with a leadoff solo home run to left field on a 2-1 count to tie it up at 1-1. After a hit batter and a throwing error to second base by Walker on a comebacker from the next batter, UMD appeared to be posing a threat, but Walker and her defense shut the door with a double play after a nine-pitch at bat to end the inning.

The Warriors then rode the momentum with a three-run bottom of the fourth, kicked off with back-to-back walks coaxed by Morgan Lintz and McKenna Larsen. Natalie Kalmes then started what would be a big day with a double to left field to score Larsen and put the Warriors out front 2-1. Kullmann then produced an RBI groundout before Kalmes eventually scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-1.

UMD mustered a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth to cut the WSU lead to 4-2, but a two-run shot to left center field by Kalmes gave the Warriors some insurance and the eventual 6-2 victory.

Walker improved her mark in the circle to 11-3 after tossing a complete game, three-hitter while giving up just one earned run and fanning four Bulldogs.

The Warriors had to respond from a bit of a rocky start in game two, but did so emphatically with what would be 11 unanswered runs to claim a shortened six-inning victory.

The Bulldogs got on the board first, with the leadoff hitter reaching on a fielding error to open the game. After UMD followed up with a single, Becky Smith blasted a three-run home run to right center field to put Minnesota Duluth up 3-0.

That's all WSU starter Hanna Lythberg would allow, however, shutting the door on the Bulldogs from then on. Larsen continued her hot streak in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single to left field, to cut the lead to 3-1 and by the second inning the Warriors would be back out in front when a Reed Karsten RBI single and a bases-clearing double from Walker put Winona State up 5-3.

Kullmann added to the lead in the fifth with an RBI single that scored Larsen and Lexi Perez made it 7-3 with an RBI single to left field.

The sixth inning was highlighted by a towering home run from Ashley Walker – her first of the season and 21^st of her WSU career – to open up an 8-3 lead and give the senior 4 RBI in the game. The Warriors weren't done in the sixth, however, as a 2 RBI single from Kullmann made it 10-3. Perez then reached on a fielding error to third base that sent Kalmes home in walk-off fashion to claim the 11-3 six-inning win.

Lythberg improved to 13-3 in the circle after tossing all six innings, giving up a pair of earned runs and striking out four.

Winona State (26-7) is back at home Saturday when it hosts St. Cloud State for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. at Alumni Field in Winona.