BISMARCK, N.D. - The #20 Winona State University softball team won both ends of a doubleheader against the University of Mary on Sunday, dominating in both games with 10 - 0 and 9 - 1 victories.
The two wins represent the last regular season away contests for the Warriors (31 - 8 / 20 - 6 NSIC) as head coach
Greg Jones and his team will return home to host a pair of important NSIC doubleheaders next weekend.
Game One
The Marauders stayed level with Winona State for precisely one inning on Sunday, as both teams ended the first stanza scoreless. After that, it was all Warriors in the opener, as starting pitched
Jordyn Kleman mowed down 13 UMary batters by strike out and did not issue a walk on the day. The lone Marauder hit was a single in the bottom of the sixth inning by Eryn De Jonge. She was the only Marauder to reach base in the game; Kleman struck out the side in both the second and third innings.
With Kleman dominating the circle, WSU bats responded by scoring three runs in the second inning and two more in the third, putting the Warriors in the driver's seat after three innings of play.
In the second,
Rylee Stout scored on a
Ann Smolenski sacrifice fly to open the WSU ledger and
Teaghen Amwoza and
Katie Kolb scored in short order after Stout on Warrior base hits by Kolb and
Abbie Hlas, respectively.
The third inning saw
Libby Neveau score after a double to start the inning and
Sam Keller scored when
Rylee Stout singled her in moments later. Keller earned an RBI of her own in the fourth, driving in
Alison Nowak to move Winona State to a 6-0 advantage in the fourth.
A four-run sixth inning at-bat ended the game early for WSU, with the outburst coming with two outs. Nowak nudged the Warrior offense with a single, followed by a
Libby Neveau set-up single and then a
Sam Keller triple scoring two runs. When
Teaghen Amwoza doubled with
Rylee Stout and Keller on base, WSU found itself with a 10 - 0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth.
After the aforementioned single to open the inning, Kleman retired the Marauder side in short order, striking out one and forcing two easy outs to conclude the contest.
Kleman moved to 19-3 on the year for Winona State, currently the most victories by any pitcher in the NSIC.
Teaghen Amwoza was 3-for-4 at the plate, while
Sam Keller was 2-for-3 with four RBI.
Katie Kolb stole a base for WSU and
Rylee Stout earned two walks in the game.
Game Two
Liz Pautz took the circle and earned the win in game two for Winona State, as WSU kept the offense flowing in Bismarck en route to a 9-1 victory.
WSU scored three runs in the first inning to take control early, as
Katie Kolb led off the game with a triple.
Abbie Hlas singled Kolb home to put the Warriors up 1-0 and when
Libby Neveau hit her 12th home run of the season minutes later, the rout was on.
After a scoreless second for both teams, WSU turned it up a notch in the third, scoring three more runs to race out to a 6-0 advantage.
Sam Keller and
Ann Smolenski each earned RBI's and the Warriors racked up three base hits in the inning after Nowak started the offensive surge with a leadoff walk. WSU added three more in the fourth, also with a leadoff walk, this time by
Katie Kolb, and an Nowak triple, followed by
Libby Neveau's second home run of the day, and 13th of the season, which accounted for the final two Warrior runs in the game, moving the scoreboard to 9 - 0.
UMary got one back in the bottom of the fourth, the only inning in which they tallied multiple base hits, but it was the only scoring on the day for the Marauders. Emily Erickson took the hill to wrap up the fifth and final inning of the game, striking out two and forcing a groundout to second to end the game and secure the sweep.
Winona State racked up some impressive offense in the game, with
Libby Neveau's two home runs and one double accounting for her 3-for-3 day at the plate, while
Alison Nowak was 2-for-2 with a triple and a walk.
Rylee Stout also had a double as the Warriors rang up nine hits total in the contest.
Pautz struck out five and scattered the UMary three hits. The win - her 12th - moves Pautz into sixth place in the NSIC this season in the victories category.
In reaching the 20 NSIC wins today, Winona State has won 20 or more NSIC games in the 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 seasons; since 2010, the Warriors have earned at least 20 NSIC wins seven times.
Winona State will host Augustana University on Saturday, May 8 and Wayne State College on Sunday, May 9 to wrap up the regular season. At the close of business on Sunday, the Warriors sit in third place, with Augustana University and Minnesota State in first and second place respectively.
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.
