ABERDEEN, S.D.. - The Winona State University softball team earned a split in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) action on Friday, battling against the Northern State Wolves across a pair of contests in Aberdeen, S.D.
Playing in the City of Aberdeen Dome due to weather and field conditions at NSU, Winona State fell to Northern State in game one by a 4-1 scoreline but rebounded in the nightcap for a 8-2 win over the Wolves.
Game 1: Northern State 4, Winona State 1 | Winona State and Northern State traded scoreless frames through two full innings in a pitching duel between the WSU's
Izzy Howe and NSU's Lexi Chase. The Warriors eventually got on the board first with when
Kiley Slaats doubled to reach base and was subsequently able to score following a series of Wolves errors.
The Winona State advantage was short lived, however, as Northern State was able to answer back in the bottom of the third inning to score three runs. The Warriors and Wolves went scoreless yet again across the middle portion of the contest until the bottom of the sixth, when NSU was able to plate one more score to secure game one, dealing WSU a 4-1 loss.
Izzy Howe went 2 and 1/3 innings for WSU before giving way to
Jayda Berg who threw the final 3 and 2/3; Howe took the loss for Winona State.
Game 2: Winona State 8, Northern State 2 | Winona State started game two strong by plating three runs in the top of the first inning, with a rally sparked by a single from
Kiley Slaats and a
Carly Engelhardt walk.
Teaghen Amwoza set the table for a Warrior scoring spree with a single and a collection of NSU miscues, followed by an
Alyssa Woelfel 3-RBI double.
WSU would go on to pull away from NSU when the Warriors plated three more runs in the top of the second to salvage the split in Aberdeen.
Savannah Serdynski opened the WSU second-inning scoring with a single, followed by a
Sam Keller double and an
Abbie Hlas base hit. Engelhardt would wrap up the high-scoring frame with a ground-out RBI to complete the Winona State three-run inning. The Warriors would then go scoreless up until the sixth inning where they would see two more runs cross home plate, securing the 8-2 WSU win.
In the Winona State circle, WSU starter
Abby Smith would go the distance in game two to move to 7-4 on the year. Smith held 29 Wolves batters to nine hits overall and allowed just two earned runs in the contest. Smith registered four strikeouts en route to the Warrior win.
Winona State (20-12, 4-2 NSIC) will take on Minnesota State - Moorhead on the back half of the NSIC weekend tomorrow, Saturday, March 30. WSU and MSUM will square off in a key league doubleheader in the City of Aberdeen Dome with first pitch set for noon against the Dragons.
