Photo by Jake McNeil: Southwest Minnesota State’s Abby Russell reacts as she runs toward home plate for the go-ahead run during a 2-1 win over St. Cloud State in Marshall on Saturday afternoon. The Mustangs also defeated the Huskies 7-0 in the second game of the day to sweep their first home games of the season.
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MARSHALL — On a windy Saturday afternoon in Marshall, the Southwest Minnesota State softball team defeated the St. Cloud State Huskies in the opener. The Mustangs strung together a third-inning rally to pull out a 2-1 victory in the first game of the day before pulling off a seven-run first inning in what would be an 8-0 victory in six innings in the second game.
Saturday’s blowout marked a comeback for the Mustangs, who had lost each of their previous four games against Augustana and Minnesota Duluth. Their seven runs in the second game on Saturday tied their total from the previous four games.
In the first game of the day, Jillian Noel became the sixth Mustang to reach 200 career hits when she hit an RBI single in the third inning to drive in Abby Russell for the go-ahead run. Russell reached base in the previous at-bat with a triple that scored Riley Kramolish to tie the game at 1-1.
St. Cloud scored the first hit of the game when Reese Holzheuter hit a single up the middle in the game’s first hit. With Holzheuter on second and advancing to third on a fielder’s choice, Bethany Weiss hit a single to center field to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.
After allowing a run in the first inning, Morgyn Otte limited the St. Cloud State for the rest of the game. The junior pitcher five, holding St. Cloud to one run on five hits with no walks and a pair of strikeouts. The win brought her record to (7-9 if they hold) for the season.
For the Huskies, Erin Eickhoff fell to 8-8 with the loss. She allowed two runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings. She hit a batter.
The Huskies started the fourth inning strong with a single by Fitzgerald. Looking to tie the game after the Mustangs’ third inning, St. Cloud State opted to put Kori Needham first as a pinch runner.
Still, Ote induced a ground out, fielded the ball and threw it to Emma Humpal at second base for the first out, and Humpal threw the ball to Paris Van Dyke at first to complete the double play.
Carly Miller replaced Otte to start the sixth inning. She retired each of the six batters she faced, striking out two of them. The save was Miller’s second of the season.
Justice Porter pitched one inning of relief for the Huskies, holding the Mustangs without a baserunner while striking out two of the three batters he faced.
Game 2
SMSU 8, SCSU 0
While the first game of the day was a pitchers’ duel, the second game was anything but. The Mustangs scored seven runs in the first inning to gain early momentum and never looked back in the 8-0 victory.
Kramolisch and Mikayla Berge led off the first for the Mustangs, and after the Huskies got a hit, Noel struck out another to load the bases.
Emma Humpal started the Mustang rally with a double and Molly Bull added two more with a single up the middle to make it 4-0.
With just one out, the Huskies made their first change on the floor as Porter replaced McKenna Stallings. Still, the Mustangs persevered.
Miller hit a single to put runners on the corners and then stole second to get into scoring position. Bryn Weber followed Miller’s hit with an RBI single, and Van Dyke scored Miller on a failed fielder’s choice, leaving two runners on with one out.
After Van Dyke stole second, Kramolish hit his second single of the inning to make it a 7-0 game.
The Huskies finally ended the inning after getting Van Dyke out of the plate on a fielder’s choice and forcing Russell into a groundout.
After earning the save in the first game of the day, Miller recorded the win in the second to improve to 8-11 on the season. She pitched six shutout innings in the second game, allowing just three hits and a walk. She also struck out seven, bringing her total to 9 for the day.
Heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, SMSU needed just one run to end the game. St. Cloud State got Van Dyke and Kramolish to ground out to start the frame, but G. Anderson, pinch-hitting for Paige Arendt, reached on an error.
Berge came in as a pinch hitter and Abby Russell closed the game with an RBI double to right-center field to secure the 8-0 victory via the run rule.
Humpal’s double, which scored the game’s first run, and Russell’s game-tying double were the game’s only extra bases. Humpal and Fitzgerald led the game with three hits apiece for their teams.
Russell’s three RBIs also tied Humpal and Bull for the team lead.
After coming in for Stallings, Porter went 5 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits and a walk. She hit two shots.
Southwest Minnesota State moved past St. Cloud State for ninth in the NSIC standings with the win, now sitting at 15-22 overall and 6-8 in the conference. St. Cloud State drops to 10th place at 5-7 (22-16 overall).
SMSU will stay at Mustang Field for its next doubleheader, hosting Wayne State on Wednesday at 2 p.m. The Wildcats are 12th in the NSIC at 6-28 overall and 2-8 in the conference after splitting their home doubleheader against Northern State on Saturday.
