ROCHESTER, Minn. -- The #23 Winona State University softball team, riding a four-game winning streak at the 2021 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Tournament, moved into their noon game against #1 Augustana University needing a win to extend the NSIC postseason and to provide the most successful class of seniors in the storied history of the program one more chance at a NSIC Softball Tournament Championship.
Winona State had worked their way to the critical juncture of the tournament by reeling off four straight wins after a 2-1 loss to St. Cloud State in the first game of the event on Thursday, May 13.
#1 Augustana was upset by the Minnesota State Mavericks 6-0 on Friday night, putting both the Warriors and Vikings in a win-or-be-done NSIC situation and creating a game atmosphere in Rochester worthy of the stakes.
Batting first as the visiting team, WSU's
Katie Kolb calmly connected on a single to start the game but it was Augustana who opened the scoring, also in the first frame, when Kendall Cornick made it home on a Torri Chute single off of Warrior starter,
Liz Pautz.
However, Winona State answered immediately in the top of the second, scoring three runs of their own in the largest single-inning outburst of the tournament up to that point.
Rylee Stout's leadoff single, followed by a bunt and a Warrior walk and
Carly Kordich hit put a trio of runners in scoring position.
Kolb cracked a double to plate Smolenski and Stout, while Kordich scored in the next at-bat when
Abbie Hlas hit a long fly ball into foul territory, allowing Kordich to tag up and come home.
In a game that featured a number of turning point plays, one was certainly
Rylee Stout's second inning throw to nab Augustana's Abbie Lund on a steal attempt. The senior catcher from St. Charles, Ill., ended a Viking rally as AU threatened with runners on the corners at the time.
However in the third, Augustana was able to connect on a couple of long balls, first a leadoff double and then a home run over the left field fence, tying the game at three.
Jordyn Kleman came on in relief of Pautz, collected the third out and both teams headed to the fourth level at 3-3.
After the Warriors went scoreless in the top of the fourth, Augustana threatened again in the bottom of the fourth, eventually getting runners to the corners again, following a two-out triple and walk. However, an outstanding effort and catch by
Abbie Hlas on a ball in foul territory neutralized the Viking rally.
Along with making plays with her arm behind the plate,
Rylee Stout had another key moment while standing beside it, cracking a one-out double in the top of the sixth. Advancing to third on a sacrifice fly, Stout found herself 60 feet from a Warrior lead but WSU was unable to take advantage.
The game changed in the bottom of the sixth when the Vikings Mary Pardo made an indelible impact on the outcome, hitting her league-leading 18th home run of the year.
With the Viking 4-3 lead heading in to the top of the seventh, the spotlight turned to the Warrior batter's box, where
Marissa Mullen pinch-hit and delivered, cracking a double to start the inning.
Abbie Hlas added to the rally, hitting a single and moving Kordich to third. Unfortunately for Winona State and the Warrior faithful, Augustana's Ashley Mickschl (23-2) retired
Alison Nowak and
Libby Neveau to end the inning and the game.
Kleman's pitching record for the 2021 regular season and NSIC postseason combined sits at 24-6. Her tremendous Warrior career passed yet another benchmark during the tournament when she became Winona State's all-time leader in strikeouts; after today's two contests, that impressive figure sits at 875.
With the loss, the Warriors conclude a tremendous 2021 NSIC campaign in which they finished third in the regular season at 22-8, and bow out of the NSIC postseason at 37-12 overall.
As NCAA Division II conferences around the region and country conclude play this weekend, the Warriors - ranked #7 in the May 10 NCAA Central Region poll - will wait with the rest of the field for the NCAA softball selections which will be announced on www.NCAA.com on Sunday, May 16 at 9 pm (CT). The NCAA Championships are set for May 27-31 at Regency Athletic Complex hosted by Metro State University of Denver.
For the complete 2021 NSIC Softball Tournament Central homepage,
visit this link.
For the most up to date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit:
www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and
@WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:
The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words:
Graduate Champions.
Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.
