ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Senior Hanna Lythberg pitched a five inning no-hitter in 10-0 game one win before the No. 17 Winona State softball team fell 4-3 in the nightcap to split a doubleheader with St. Cloud State Saturday afternoon at the Husky Dome in St. Cloud.
GAME ONE: WSU 10, SCSU 0
Lythberg (13-3) twirled WSU's 18th no-hitter in program history and the first since the 2012 season for the first complete game hitless performance of her career, pitching all five innings while walking two and striking out three in 17 batters faced.
Though Lythberg wouldn't need it, the Warriors gave her plenty of run support. After two scoreless innings, the Warriors plated two in the top of the third, as a bases loaded single by Paige Keegan scored Allyson O'Herron and an RBI groundout by Natalie Kalmes in the following at bat scored Reed Karsten to give WSU a 2-0 advantage.
With Lythberg still shutting down the Huskies, WSU scored three more runs in the fourth inning on an RBI groundout by Chelsey Rodenkirch and a two-run single by Paige Keegan to extend the lead to 5-0.
WSU blew the game open in the fifth inning with five runs. Jamee Schleis scored McKenna Larsen from first with an RBI triple to right center, then Karsten scored Schleis with a single to the pitcher. A fielding error by the pitcher allowed Keegan to reach base, scoring Lani Van Zyl on an unearned run to up the lead to 8-0 before Kalmes upped the lead to 10-0 with a two-run single through the left side to score Rodenkirch and Karsten.
Lythberg completed the no-hitter in the bottom of the fifth with a pair of groundouts, then shook off a walk and a hit batter to retire the Huskies with a flyout to end the game.
GAME TWO: SCSU 4, WSU 3
Lani Van Zyl went 2-for-3 at the plate while driving in all three of the Warriors' runs, but it wasn't enough as the Warriors fell 4-3 in game two.
The Warriors were forced to play from behind after St. Cloud State scored a pair of runs on the bottom of the second. With the bases loaded, a popup to second base resulted in a throwing error and the two runs to score to put WSU in an early hole.
Van Zyl singled home McKenna Larsen in the fifth inning to cut the Husky lead in half, but a two-run single up the middle in the bottom of the sixth gave SCSU a pair of insurance runs – runs they would prove to need, as Van Zyl belted a two-run home run in the top of the seventh to cut the lead to 4-3, but couldn't complete the comeback.
Alex Walker (6-3) picked up the loss in the circle, allowing five hits, three earned runs and three walks with one strikeout in six innings of work.
Winona State (24-8) returns home Sunday for a doubleheader against Minnesota Duluth for games that were moved to Winona from Duluth due to weather. The Bulldogs will be considered the home team in both games, with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
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