Softball Defeats Northern State 7-6 To Advance To Second Day of NSIC Softball Tournament

Thursday, May 4

Sioux Falls, SD

4 p.m.

St. Cloud State

32-22

Northern State University - NSIC Tournament

29-26-1

Northern State

St. Cloud State

Jaiden Lund

Photo by: Ryan Evans

Softball Defeats Northern State 7-6 To Advance To Second Day of NSIC Softball Tournament

5/4/2017 7:00:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Sioux Falls, S.D. – The St. Cloud State softball team (32-22) won a thrilling 7-6 game to defeat Northern State (29-26-1) in the program's second game of the day on Thursday, May 4, at Bowden Field. The program advances to the second day of the tournament and plays at 10 a.m. on Friday against Minot State (24-20) in another elimination game.

Megan Hedstrom (16-10) earned the win in allowing five runs (two earned) in 4.2 innings worked with four walks and a strikeout. Sophomore Kate Kopeck pitched 2.1 innings in relief and surrendered one run on two hits with a strikeout to earn her first save of the season.

The Huskies offense put up all of their seven runs in the third inning. Hedstrom began the frame with her first home run of the season. Junior Libby Bingham followed with a triple. Abby Bunnell singled and stole second to put a pair of runners in scoring position. Freshman Maya Keating loaded the bases with her infield single. Senior Jessica Goerger drove in Bingham with a fielder's choice in which no out could be recorded. Senior Alyssa Coletto punched a single through the left side to score Bunnell. Senior Rebecca Harps plated Keating with her base hit. Sophomore Jaiden Lund had the big hit of the frame with a bases-clearing three-run triple to score Harps, Coletto and Goerger.

The Wolves answered with three runs in the fourth inning. Kennady Thompson had a lead-off single and moved to third on a muffed throw as Jamie Fisher reached on a fielder's choice. Jess Vernon drove in Thompson with her RBI ground out. Madison Rutter followed with a sacrifice fly to score Fisher. Lauren Kuntz completed the scoring in the inning with an RBI single.

Northern State drew two runs closer in the fifth inning with Fisher and Rachel Albright driving in runs.

NSU scored a run and put the tying run on second base in the seventh inning. Thompson double. Anne Jonas ran for Thompson and scored on Fisher's double. With no one out and tying run on second base, Kopeck buckled down and got two pop outs and a line out to end the game.

Missy Elkins (13-13) allowed all seven runs on seven hits in two innings to be tagged with the loss.

The winner of the SCSU/Minot State game advances to take on the loser of the Winona State/Augustana game in another elimination contest on Friday afternoon, May 5, at Sherman Park at 2 p.m.