Softball Wins Two One-Run Games Over Minot State, 7-6 & 2-1

Saturday, April 1

1 p.m.

St. Cloud State

17-12, 1-2

Minot State University

9-7, 1-2

Minot State

St. Cloud State

Rebecca Harps

Photo by: Tom Nelson

Softball Wins Two One-Run Games Over Minot State, 7-6 & 2-1

4/1/2017 6:44:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

St. Cloud, Minn. – St. Cloud State's softball team (18-12, 2-2 NSIC) picked up a pair of home conference one-run wins by scores of 7-6 and 2-1 over Minot State (9-8, 1-3 NSIC) on Saturday, April 1, in the Husky Dome. The wins snapped the team's recent eight-game losing streak.

Senior Megan Hedstrom (7-5) was the winner in the first game. She allowed six runs (four earned) in throwing eight innings in the circle. Fellow senior Rebecca Harps was called upon for some early relief and threw an inning in the first before exiting and having Hedstrom go the rest of the extra-inning game.

Sophomore Kate Kopeck (9-5) allowed just six hits and one first inning run in picking up the victory in the second game for SCSU. Kopeck also tied her career-high with eight strikeouts.

Senior Alyssa Coletto had four hits including a home run plus knocked in two runs and scored two runs in the doubleheader. Senior Abby Bunnell also had four hits between the two games. Freshman Maya Keating tallied three hits and a run scored. Senior Jessica Goerger had three hits and knocked in a run. Harps scored two runs, had an RBI and a walk. Hedstrom had a pair of pinch hit knocks including a double.

Game One
Minot State started the scoring with four runs in the opening frame in the day's opener. Tori Zimmerman, Ashley Hill and Clarissa Ramirez all picked up RBIs.

The Huskies answered with a run in the bottom of the inning as Keating reached on an infield single, moved all the way to third on a single from Goerger. She then scored on a Harps' ground out.

The Beavers struck for a single run in the top of the second as Jordan Grant scored from third on a wild pitch.

Minot State added a run to the advantage with a sacrifice fly from Zimmerman to score Grant and make MSU's lead 6-1 midway through the fourth inning.

SCSU started to climb back into the game put up a two-spot in the fourth inning with junior Libby Bingham and Bunnell driving in runs.

The Huskies inched closer with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning as freshman Anna Roth drew a bases loaded walk.

SCSU tied the game up at six all in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the seventh inning. Harps walked and scored just ahead of Coletto's two-run game-tying home run.

The Beavers nearly broke through to untie the game in the top of the eighth inning as MSU loaded the bases with nobody out, but a line out double play to Goerger at first and a fly out ended the frame and allowed SCSU to escape unscored upon.

SCSU won the game in the bottom of the ninth as Bunnell drove a ball into left field to score Coletto, who had started the rally with a single, for the game-winner with two outs in the frame.

Clarissa Ramirez (3-5) was tagged with the loss in both games. In the first game, she allowed a run in her 0.2 innings of relief.

Game Two
The Beavers again struck first in the second game with Zimmerman knocking in Lauren Cowden with her base hit for a single tally.

The Huskies wrestled the lead back for good in the bottom of the fifth inning. Hedstrom reached with a lead-off pinch hit double. She moved to third on the sacrifice bunt from Bingham and then scored as the ball was thrown away off the Bingham bunt to tie the contest at one all. Bunnell then reached on a fielder's choice, moved to second on a ground out and raced in to score the team's eventual game-winning run on Goerger's base hit to center field.

Ramirez took the loss in allowed two runs (neither earned) in her six innings in the circle for Minot State.

The Huskies continue NSIC play and welcomes in the University of Mary for a pair of games on Sunday, April 2. The program takes on the Marauders at 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 at the Husky Dome.