ROCHESTER, Minn. - The Winona State University softball team won their first two games at the 2022 NSIC Softball Tournament in dramatic fashion, winning matchups against Concordia, St. Paul and Minnesota State thanks in large part to a grand slam in each contest that turned the tables on the Warrior opponents late in the game.
In their third outing of the NSIC postseason however, Winona State was not able to produce the pop at the plate with runners on base in a 3-0 setback to top-seed Augustana University.
It took a series of standout defensive plays by Augustana to keep what had been an overwhelming WSU offense over the past two weeks in check, as Winona State brought a winning streak of eight games into today's contest.
In the end, a pair of Viking double plays that killed potential Warrior rallies in the fourth and seventh innings, respectively, proved to be the difference between two top NCAA Division II teams on the day.
Winona State starter
Abby Smith held Augustana to just five hits and three runs in the seven inning affair, two of the lowest totals against the Vikings by a NSIC opposing pitcher this season. Unfortunately, AU's Ashley Mickschl returned the favor, keeping WSU bats quiet for much of the game in yielding just five hits as well, and saw her defense deal a pair of double plays to defuse the Winona State attack when needed.
With one out in the fourth inning, WSU had runners on first and second when a hard hit ball by
Carly Engelhardt found the Augustana first baseman Delaney Young, who promptly stepped on first for the force out in the unassisted double play. Then, in the top of the seventh, with Engelhardt and
Libby Neveau on board courtesy of back-to-back singles, a hard drive from
Teaghen Amwoza to second base allowed the Vikings to four-six-three their way out of a potential Warrior big inning. One groundout later, Winona State suffered it's first loss of the NSIC Tournament and just it's sixth loss of the year to an NSIC opponent.
For Smith (7-3), the Warrior freshman from Hartland, Wis. struck out five Vikings over seven innings, while walking just one. The Vikings' Mary Pardo hit a solo home run in the fifth inning, the only extra-base hit for either team in the contest.
The loss marked just the third time WSU has been shut out this season, and sets up the opportunity to battle back to play the Vikings on Saturday in the championship game. Winona State will return to the field tomorrow at noon, where they will play the winner of the 10 a.m. Minnesota State - Mankato / University of Sioux Falls contest.
Winona State dispatched Minnesota State earlier on Friday in a 8-2 comeback win. WSU beat USF 8-0 and 8-6 on Saturday, April 2 during the NSIC regular season. In the 8-0 win over the Cougars, Winona State senior pitcher
Liz Pautz threw a perfect game, just the third such outing in WSU softball history. Pautz outlasted three different Maverick pitchers in the Warrior win on Friday, earning her 25th victory of the season in the process.
For all things NSIC Softball, head to the the Tournament Central page, available
at this link.
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www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and
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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.
