Softball Splits Games Against Northwood University and the University of the Sciences

Monday, March 7

Clermont, FLA

1:00 p.m. EST

St. Cloud State

9-11

Northwood University (MI)

3-3

St. Cloud State

Northwood

Photo by: Tom Nelson

Softball Splits Games Against Northwood University and the University of the Sciences

3/7/2016 9:29:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

SCSU Falls to Northwood 11-8 and Defeats University of the Sciences 9-0

CLERMONT, Fla. – St. Cloud State's softball team (10-11) splits their two games on the team's fourth day during the Spring Games on Monday, March 7, at the National Training Center. The Huskies fell to Northwood University 11-8 and defeated University of the Sciences by a 9-0 score.

Junior Megan Hedstrom (4-5) was tagged with the loss in the opening game to the Timberwolves. She allowed four runs (three earned) in three innings. Senior Senna Francesconi started the contest for SCSU and allowed seven runs in her three innings.

The Huskies jumped out to an early four-run lead in the first inning. Junior Abby Bunnell started the contest with a single through the right side and scored all the way from first on junior Rebecca Harps' double. Junior Alyssa Coletto followed with a single to left to move Harps to third base as Coletto took second on the throw. Junior Jessica Goerger singled in both Harps and Coletto with her hit to center field. A bunt single and a sacrifice moved Goerger to third and she came in to score the fourth run of the game and stanza on freshman Jaiden Lund's single.

Northwood answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second on Haley D'Avilar and Ashley Lynn's RBI hits.

The Huskies put three more runs on the board in the top of the third inning. Goerger was hit by a pitch. Sophomore Brianna Hightshoe, who was inserted to run for Goerger, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from senior Tricia DeBoer. Sophomore Libby Bingham walked just ahead of sophomore Veronica Wold's two-RBI single to force a pitching change. After a walk and ground out, Wold scampered home with the team's seventh run on Harps' RBI infield single to give SCSU a commanding for the moment 7-2 advantage.

The Timberwolves put up a five-spot in the bottom of the frame to tie things up after five hits, five runs and a costly Huskies' error.

Northwood kept momentum going and took the lead for good with a single tally in the fourth inning on the second of two consecutive wild pitches to score Riley Ostapowicz, who reached base on an SCSU misplay.

The Timberwolves added three runs to the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning with the big hit being a two-out two-run RBI double from Andria Gietl.

The Huskies scored a single run in the top of the seventh inning to make the final score 11-8.

Freshman Kate Kopeck (3-2) earned the victory in the second game for SCSU in going five shutout innings with three strikeouts.

The team scored three runs in the opening frame. Bunnell began the game with a single and moved to second on a Coletto single. Goerger was then walked to load the bases. A fielder's choice bunt in which no out was recorded allowed Bunnell to score the game's first run. Coletto came in with the second run on a pass ball. A fielder choice scored DeBoer with the game's third run.

SCSU added two more to the lead in the second inning. Goerger drove in a pair with her RBI single.

The Huskies completed the scoring with four runs in the third inning on Bunnell's inside-the-park home run that was just missed by the diving Devils' right fielder before hitting off the base of fence and bounding away to plate junior Megan Larkin, Lund and senior Taige Puetz and put the final margin at nine.

St. Cloud State continues play in the Spring Game and takes on Le Moyne College at 1 p.m. and Indiana University of Pennsylvania at 3 p.m. on March 8 at the National Training Center.