Softball Drops 7-6 and 6-4 Games To Minnesota Duluth

Tuesday, March 28

Duluth, MN

12 p.m.

St. Cloud State

16-11, 0-1

University of Minnesota Duluth

17-9, 1-0

St. Cloud State

Minnesota Duluth

Morgan Emmans

Photo by: Tom Nelson

3/28/2017 5:19:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

DULUTH, Minnesota – The St. Cloud State softball team (16-12, 0-2 NSIC) opened the 2017 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schedule with a pair of losses to Minnesota Duluth (18-8, 2-0 NSIC) by scores of 7-6 and 6-4 at Malosky Stadium on Tuesday, March 28. The program has now lost its last eight games.

Senior Rebecca Harps (1-1) took the loss in the first game for SCSU in allowing a run in her two innings of relief work. Fellow senior Megan Hedstrom started the contest for the Huskies and allowed six runs on eight hits with five walks and six strikeouts in four innings.

Sophomore Kate Kopeck (8-5) was the game two starter for SCSU and surrendered six runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings thrown. Harps pitched the final 0.2 innings in relief.

Junior Libby Bingham had three hits. Senior Jessica Goerger picked up four hits, a walk and a run scored. Senior Alyssa Coletto had a pair of doubles and two RBIs. Sophomore Jaiden Lund had two hits and an RBI. Sophomore Morgan Emmans talied two hits, two runs, a home run and four RBIs on the afternoon.

Game One
The Huskies scored first with three runs in the third inning. Senior Abby Bunnell reached on an error and Goerger recorded a single. Both runners came home to score on Emmans' three-run home run.

The Bulldogs plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single from Kalynn Tilton and Becky Smith.

SCSU scored three more runs in the top of the fourth inning. The first run was scored on an error from the UMD catcher. Emmans drove in the second with her RBI single. The third was plated on another fielding error from the Bulldogs.

UMD tied the game up with four runs in the bottom of the frame. Lauren Oberle had a two-run double, Tilton picked up a sacrifice fly RBI and Hannah Bloch drove in the tying run with her two-out single to center.

The Bulldogs took the lead for good with a run in the fifth inning on Jayme Langbehn's home run.

The win was earned by Sam Hartmann (9-3), who threw a complete game with eight hits allowed and two strikeouts.

Game Two
UMD jumped out to 2-0 advantage in the first inning. Hannah Schmoll tripled to begin the frame. Becky Smith walked and then stole second while Schmoll stole home for the first run. Oberle plated the second run with her single through the left side.

The Bulldogs added a tally in the third inning on Smith's RBI infield hit.

The team added another run in the fourth inning on Ashley Taipale's solo home run.

UMD plated two more runs in the fifth inning on an RBI double from Sammi Sadler and single from Tilton.

The Huskies made it close game and cut the deficit to just two runs in the sixth inning with four runs. Freshman Maya Keating recorded a lead-off single. She was followed by a base hit from Goerger. Senior Brianne Hightshoe was inserted to run for Goerger and moved to second as Keating took third on a walk to Emmans. Coletto delivered with a two-run RBI double to score Keating and Hightshoe. Lund followed with an RBI single. Freshman Anna Roth completed the scoring with an infield single to score sophomore pinch runner Samantha Boettcher.

Valerie Hohol (5-0) earned the win for the Bulldogs with 5.1 innings thrown, seven hits and four runs allowed. Breanna Swint picked up her first save of the season with 1.2 scoreless innings of relief.

The Huskies now return home to host a pair of NSIC opponents. The program takes on Minot State in a doubleheader on Saturday, April 1, beginning at 1 p.m. The program then welcomes in the University of Mary on Sunday, April 2, starting at 1 p.m. All four games are tentatively scheduled to be held at the Husky Dome, but that is subject to change depending on field conditions at Selke Field.