MOORHEAD, Minn. - The Winona State University softball team concluded the 2022 regular season on a six-game winning streak, sweeping Minnesota State - Moorhead on the road heading into postseason play.
Following the conclusion of other Monday contests from around the NSIC, WSU finished third overall in the league with a 37-13 overall record and 23-5 league mark. The Warriors will open play in the 2022 NSIC Softball Tournament Thursday at noon, taking on Concordia, St. Paul.
Game One
Winona State earned their third straight shutout victory in game one, dispatching MSU-Moorhead 9-0 with a pair of big innings late in the contest.
Liz Pautz threw a two-hit gem, striking out 15 batters and walking just two in another dominant outing in the circle for the Warriors. The Dragons managed just two singles, the first one in the bottom of the third inning and the second in the fifth frame.
The Warrior offense took bit to warm up in the opener, as the two teams were scoreless heading into the third inning.
Sam Keller reached base on a fielder's choice. One out later,
Rylee Stout singled Keller home for the opening score of the game for either team.
WSU added two more runs in the top of the fourth, courtesy of a
Marissa Mullen single,
Corinna Loshek stolen base, and then a
Libby Neveau home run to left field.
After a scoreless fifth inning for both teams, Winona State put the game away with a pair of three-run frames in the sixth and seventh innings. The sixth inning was highlighted by a pair of doubles, with
Teaghen Amwoza and Keller both claiming extra-base hits, while
Ann Smolenski and Neveau added singles to keep the bases full during the three-run rally.
The Warrior seventh inning saw three hits, including a three-run homer by Carly Englehardt after Stout and Mullen both singled moments before.
In addition to the 12 Warrior base hits in the game, the WSU rose to the occasion defensively in claiming the shutout, their third straight. The streak matched the 2021 best when Winona State reeled off back-to-back shutouts over Bemidji State on April 17 and opened with their Minnesota Crookston series with a 5-0 win.
For Pautz, the victory moved her to 24-5 overall. With 15 strikeouts in the contest, Pautz now sits at 776 career K's - including 30 notched at UW - Green Bay in 2018 - moving her into third all-time among Warrior pitchers.
Game Two
Unlike game one, Winona State wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, scoring one run in the first frame and four in the second inning to take command of the contest.
Marissa Mullen collected the RBI in the opening stanza, driving in
Rylee Stout and
Libby Neveau's solo shot to start the second kept the Dragons on the defensive.
Carly Engelhardt added a two-run double after Neveau's long ball and
Abbie Hlas hit home
Ann Smolenski in between the two long balls to account for the four-run Warrior second.
Mullen made the most of her hot bat in the fourth, launching a two-run blast over the fence in right field, scoring Hlas in the process.
The Dragons spoiled starter
Abby Smith's shutout bid in the fifth with one run, but WSU responded with a pair of their own in the top of the sixth to move the scoreline to 9-1 Warriors.
MSU-Moorhead managed to score two runs in the bottom of the sixth but Smith was steady the rest of the way, holding the Dragons to a single in the seventh inning.
Smith went the distance and earned the win, scattering four hits over seven innings, striking out six Dragons along the way. The seven innings pitched and six strikeouts were both season-high marks for the freshman from Hartland, Wis., running her record to 6-2 on the year. Smith has won her last two starts in the Warrior circle.
In addition to home runs by Mullen and Neveau,
Kayla Kerkman collected two stolen bases in game two against the Dragons, running her tally to a perfect 3-for-3 on the season.
NSIC Tournament
At the conclusion of the Winona State - MSU Moorhead series and other pending contests, the NSIC revealed the 2022 NSIC Softball Tournament bracket. Winona State - the third seed - will open up play in the double-elimination tournament on Thursday, May at Noon, taking on No. 6 Concordia, St. Paul.
The match-up will mark the first time the two teams have officially competed this year, as the Golden Bears - Warriors regular-season doubleheader was halted due to inclement weather on April 12 in Winona. The top ten teams in the final regular-season standings make up the field in the tournament, which will be held May 5-7 at the RYFSA Complex in Rochester, Minnesota.
