ROCHESTER, Minn. – No. 18 Winona State University combined for eight home runs on Tuesday afternoon inside the RCTC Dome as the Warriors' began the 2020 season with a sweep of Grand View University. Junior Rylee Stout connected with one long ball in the opener and proceeded to circle the bases three more times in the finale, successfully surpassing her home run total from a year ago (3) in just one day.

Jordyn Kleman (1-0) and the Warriors blanked Grand View in Game 1, 8-0 (5 innings), and completed the sweep with an 8-4 triumph in Game 2.

Collectively, Winona State has already matched its home run output from its first 16 games of 2019.

Stout wasted little time getting her huge day started with a solo bomb in the bottom of the first inning in the opener. Jen Giesey added a two-run blast in the second inning which proved to be plenty of run support for Kleman in the circle.

The senior right-hander allowed just four hits over 5.0 IP and struck out four batters without issuing a walk.

In the bottom of the fourth, Ann Smolenski and Carly Kordich added run-scoring doubles, while freshman Libby Neveau recorded her first collegiate home run, a two-run shot, in the fifth frame to end the run-ruled ballgame.

In the finale, Stout went 4-for-4 at the plate with a trio of homers and five RBI. Her first round-tripper was again in the first inning and tied the affair after Grand View took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first.

With the Warriors trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the third, Stout went deep again and was followed by Alexis Kelsey for back-to-back homers which knotted the score.

Trailing once more in the fourth frame, 4-3, freshman Marissa Mullen connected on a solo homer to tie the game before Stout drilled her third of the game to give WSU a 6-4 advantage.

Katie Kolb added an RBI-single in the sixth inning and the Vikings finally kept Stout inside the yard, but yielded a run-scoring single for the final tally of the ballgame.

Liz Pautz (1-0) went the distance for a complete game win. The junior scattered seven hits over 7.0 IP and allowed four runs (three earned) while striking out five batters.

The Warriors will travel to Rosemont, Illinois next weekend for five games at the Lewis Dome Invitational, beginning with a showdown vs. No. 3 Grand Valley State on Friday, February 21.