SIOUX FALL, S.D. - The Winona State University softball team beats Minnesota State, Mankato, 5-2, in come from behind fashion to advance to the NSIC Championship game against Augustana University on Saturday, May 3.
The Warriors improve to 42-13 on the season and continues the hunt for a league-best eighth NSIC Tournament championship alive after scoring four unanswered runs in the NSIC Semifinal match up against the Mavericks.
Sam Keller got the game rolling right away for Winona State with a solo home run over the right center fence to give WSU the lead right away. The Mavericks answered right back in their half of the innings when Gianna Lara singled to center field to score Cheynne Behrends and Carly Kimmes to put the MSU up 2-1 after the first inning.
From the second inning on it would be a pitchers' dual Between the Warriors'
Izzy Howe and
Jayda Berg and MSU's Maddie Oetzmann and Sailor Hall, but WSU would chip away trying to plate more runs. The Warriors would get base runners on in the second inning off of a single to the pitcher hit my
Kiley Slaats followed by a sacrifice bunt laid down by
Braelee Jodarski, moving Slaats over to second, but Winona State was unable to score Slaats or any other base runner. In the bottom half of the second, Howe would go against three batters collecting a strikeout, a foul out, and a ground out to conclude the second inning.
Both MSU and WSU would struggle after the second to get runners on base until the top of the sixth for Winona State. The Warriors would start the sixth inning with a single up the middle by
Alyssa Woelfel, followed by a bunt laid down by
Logan Anderson, who reached on to first off of a mental error made by the Mavericks.
Bryn Elsenpeter would then be walked to load the bases. Slaats would then hit into a fielder's choice and reach on when the MSU's shortstop would throw home for the force out.
With bases still loaded, Jaden Johson stepped up to the plate and chipped away during her at bat earning a 3-2 count when she hit a base-clearing double to left center, scoring Anderson, Elsenpeter, and Slaats, allowing Winona State to take the 4-2 lead. With Berg in the circle since the fifth, she had a quick 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth to help keep WSU in the lead going into the seventh.
In the top of the seventh,
Tiegan Mancuso would reach on off of an error made by the Mavericks' first baseman. Keller would then step up to the plate going ahead in the count, 1-0, to then hit a double to left center, which brought Mancuso around to home, where she executed a slide-by reaching out and touching home plate before the MSU catcher would swipe the tag, giving the Warriors the 5-2 lead. Winona State would be three outs away from the win under the lead of Berg in the circle. The Mavericks would hit a ground ball to
Indigo Fish at third, who would get out number one. MSU would then hit a fly ball to Keller in center field for out number two. Out number three would come in a three pitch strikeout by Berg to secure the Warriors' victory, 5-2.
The Winona State Univesity softball team will face off against the #1 seed, Augustana University, in the NSIC Championship game tomorrow, Saturday, May 3 at noon in Sioux Falls, SD at Bowden Field.
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