DULUTH, Minn. - The Winona State University softball team traveled up to Duluth, Minn. to open NSIC play and swept UMD 8-6 and 13-2.
Game 1: WSU 8 - UMD 6:
The Warriors started of game one by getting on the board right away with
Kiley Slaats getting on base with a fielder's choice then stealing second and
Logan Anderson reaching on with a walk. Both Slaats and Anderson advanced bases on a past ball putting both in scoring position.
Alyssa Woelfel hit a single through the left side to score Slaats in the top of the first. WSU bats continued to stay hot in the top of the second
Tiegan Mancuso getting on with a fielder's choice,
Sam Keller getting walked, and Slaats reaching on a fielder's choice. Anderson stepped into the box and hit a single to right center to score Mancuso and Keller.
Indigo Fish then steps up to the plate and hits a single up the middle to score Slaats to put the Warriors up 4-0. The Bulldogs put a few runs on the board in the bottom of the third with back to back home runs by Nicole Schmitt and Kendal Jekins to put the score at 4-3. Winona State then got themselves an insurance run in the top of the fifth when
Bryn Elsenpeter hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Fish going up 5-3. UMD pulled ahead in the bottom of the sixth when Jekins hit a two run home run and Sierra Thomas hit a single to score Billi Connell to go up 6-5. The Warriors' bats heated up again when Anderson and Fish got walked, Woelfel advanced pinch runner,
Kailey Plank, and Fish on a sacrifice bunt.
Jaden Johnson pinch hit and got walked to load the bases then Elsenpeter also got walked to score Plank to tie up the game. Pinch hitter,
Zoe May, reached on a Fielder's choice and advanced to second on a throwing error made by the Bulldogs catcher, which scored
Braelee Jodarski, who came in to run for Johnson. Mancuso hit a single to the UMD shortstop to score Elsenpeter to put WSU up 8-6. UMD was unable to plate any runs in the bottom of the seventh leading the Warriors victory.
In the circle,
Izzy Howe pitched 5.1 innings with six strikeouts.
Jayda Berg earned the win with 1.2 innings pitched and three strikeouts. At the plate, Anderson went 1 for 2 with two RBIs, Fish went 2 for 3 with a RBI, Woefel whent 1 for 2 with a RBI, and Elsenpeter collected two RBIs.
Game 2: WSU 13 - UMD 2
The Winona State bats stayed hot going into game two when Keller was walked, Slaats singled to right field, and Anderson was walked to load the bases. Fish stepped up to the plate and hit a single to left field to score Slaats and Keller. Then Woelfel single to center field to score Anderson. Both Fish and Woelfel got into scoring position on a wild pitch and shortly after Fish scored on another wild pitch. Jodarski then stepped into the box and hit a two run home run to left center. Mancuso then got on with a single and Keller hit a single to move Mancuso to third. Slaats then stepped up to the plate and hit a triple to score both Mancuso and Keller to put the Warriors up 8-0 right away in the top of the first. The Bulldogs got on the board in the bottom of the second with a solo home run hit by Jekins to put the score at 8-1. In the top of the fourth, Anderson hit a double to then get hit in by a double hit by Woelfel to put the Warriors at a 9-1 lead. UMD added another run to the board when Schmitt hit a single to Morgan McMillan to put the score at 9-2. The Warriors were not done at the plate with Keller hitting a solo home run right away in the top of the sixth. Slaats followed with a single to center field and Fish hit a double to center as well to put both Slaats and herself into scoring position. Woelfel wanted to hit a double herself and did just that scoring both Slaats and Fish. Elsenpeter did the same thing, hitting a double to score Woelfel, putting WSU up 13-2. The Bulldogs were unable to get the ball past the Warriors' infield, bringing another WSU victory.
In the circle, Berg pitched all six innings only allowing 10 hits and two earned runs. At the plate, Keller went 2 for 3 with a home run and a RBI, Slaats went 3 for 4 with two RBIs, Fish went 2 for 4 with two RBIs, and Woelfel went 3 for 4 with four RBIs.
The Winona State University softball team will be traveling to St. Cloud to face off against St. Cloud State University on Saturday, March 22 with game one set to start at 10 a.m. and the second came to start at 12 p.m.
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