SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Winona State University's 14th straight victory has propelled the Warriors into the NSIC Tournament Championship Game set for Saturday afternoon. The Warriors posted their second win of the day on Friday at Bowden Park, defeating Minnesota Duluth, 5-1.
Winona State (44-5) is currently ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II Central Region while Minnesota Duluth (40-12) is ranked No. 4.
The NSIC Player of the Year, Lani Van Zyl, connected on two round-trippers against the Bulldogs – the first two-homer game of her career. Freshman Rylee Stout launched her 12th long ball of the season as part of Winona's four-run fourth inning.
In the circle, McKenna Larsen (17-4) four-hit the high-powered Duluth offense, allowing just one run over 7.0 IP for her 45th career complete game which ranks 12th in program history. The senior has done it all for the Warriors in the NSIC Tournament. In three games, Larsen is 2-0 in the circle and drove in the game-ending run at the plate in the other ballgame.
The Bulldogs entered the day ranked eighth among all Division II teams in runs per game (7.74) and ninth in slugging (.556). Larsen dealt Duluth only its second shutout of the season and limited the Bulldogs to just one extra-base hit.
Van Zyl's blasted her first home run of the game with two outs in the bottom of the first to stake Larsen and the Warriors to an early 1-0 lead. It remained a one-run affair until the fourth frame.
Van Zyl led off the bottom of the fourth with her team-leading 13th homer, an opposite field shot, to pad the WSU lead to 2-0. Two batters later, Stout connected on a two-run shot to double the lead at 4-0. Fellow rookie Jen Giesey followed with a double, and with two outs, senior Samantha McLean produced an RBI-single to account for the fifth Warrior run.
Larsen took a shutout into the seventh inning, but with two outs, the Bulldogs denied her bid with their lone tally of the contest with a run-scoring double. With runners on second and third, and the tying run suddenly on deck, Larsen retired the final batter for the victory.
Van Zyl is batting .778 (7-for-9) with a pair of doubles, two homers, three RBI and four runs scored over three games in the tournament. The junior is now batting .488 on the year which is on pace for a program single-season record.
The Warriors will play for their seventh NSIC Tournament Championship on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Bowden Park. Winona State's opponent in the title game is yet to be determined.
