ROCHESTER, Minn. – The No. 10 Winona State softball team swept a pair of games on the first day of its own NSIC/MIAA crossover tournament at the RCTC Dome in Rochester.

The Warriors opened the day with a 6-2 victory over Pittsburg State before holding on for an 8-6 win over Wasburn in the nightcap.

GAME ONE: WSU 6, Pittsburg State 2

The Warriors scored first in the third inning against the Gorillas, as McKenna Larsen recorded an RBI sacrifice fly to score Lani Van Zyl. The Gorillas answered in the top of the fourth with a left field home run to take a 2-1 lead, but it was all Warriors after that.

The Warriors quickly tied it with an unearned run in the fourth and scored four runs in the sixth thanks to RBIs from Allyson O'Herron, Van Zyl and Chelsey Rodenkirch.

Lythberg improved to 2-0 in the circle, giving up two runs on four hits with five strikeouts, while Reed Karsten went 2-for-4.

GAME TWO: WSU 8, Washburn 6

The Warriors stormed out to an 8-0 lead after the top of the fourth but needed to hold off an Ichabod rally to remain a perfect 4-0 on the year.

WSU scored first in the first when Natalie Kalmes scored Karsten with an RBI groundout. The Warriors scored four more in the second highlighted by a three-run shot by Karsten – her first of the year – to put WSU in front 5-0.

Two innings later, Rodenkirch provided a ground-rule RBI double and later scored on a balk to put WSU up 8-0 before Van Zyl came up with an RBI triple to make it 8-0.

But the Ichabods would answer with four runs in the fourth off starter – and eventual game-winner Larsen (2-0) and Alex Walker gave up a pair of runs in the fifth as Washburn cut the lead to just 8-6 and forcing Lythberg to finish the game, shutting the door and earning her first save of the season.

The Warriors had a balanced performance offensively as all nine starters recorded one hit and WSU coaxed seven walks while striking out just twice.

WSU continues play Saturday, taking on Pittsburg State again at 1 p.m. before facing Northwest Missouri State at 7 p.m.