Huskies drop two to No. 14 Augustana

Sunday, March 31

Sioux Falls, SD

12 p.m.

St. Cloud State

0, 0

Augustana University (SD)

0, 0

St. Cloud State

Augustana (SD)

Megan Conrads went 2-3 in the Huskies opening game against No. 14 Augustana Sunday afternoon.

Photo by: Kelsey Whaley

3/31/2019 6:36:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

SIOUX FALLS, MINN. – The St. Cloud State University softball team had two upsets on its mind as the team took on Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, two upsets were not on the cards for the Huskies, as they fell to the No. 14 ranked team in the country 6-1 in the opener and 10-2 in game two.

Despite the final score, St. Cloud State battled Augustana in the opening game of the doubleheader, as the two teams were knotted 0-0 through four innings of play. Senior ace Kate Kopeck (Lumsden, Sask. / Lumsden) did a fantastic job holding the Vikings hitters at bay through the first three innings, as she surrendered just two hits through those first three innings. Augustana, though eventually broke through in the bottom of the fourth, as the Vikings scored three runs on two hits and Husky error to take a 3-0 lead.

St. Cloud State looked like it was going to answer with a run of its own in the top of the fifth, as Megan Conrads (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville South) doubled to right field to put a runner in scoring position with one out. Unfortunately, the sophomore right fielder was abandoned at second base, as Augustana's starting pitcher Ashley Mickschl managed to sit down both Raven Vanden Langenberg (Seymour, Wis. / Seymour) and Maya Keating (Wheaton, Ill. / Warrensville-Wheaton) to end the threat.

Kopeck sent the Vikings down in order, giving the Huskies another chance to even the score in the top of the sixth. St. Cloud State, though, also went down in order, as Mickschl sent the Huskies three, four and five batters down in order to preserve the 3-0 advantage.

St. Cloud State was looking for another quick defensive inning in the bottom of the sixth. However, that was not in the cards for the Huskies, as Augustana scored three more runs to hold a 6-0 lead heading into the top of the seventh. However, it looked like the Huskies were going to put together a two out rally in the inning, as Haley McFarlane (Swisher, Iowa / Cedar Rapids Prairie) singled to center and scored on a massive triple by Conrads to score St. Cloud State's first run of the ball game. The rally, though, would stop there, as Vanden Langenberg hit a hard grounder to the second baseman to end the inning.

McFarlane and Conrads were the top hitters for the Huskies, as they both went 2-3 at the plate and accounted for the Huskies lone run and RBI in the first game.

Kopeck suffered just her third loss of the game, as she gave up six runs, only four of which were earned, on seven hits in five innings of work.

St. Cloud State was hoping to rebound with a win in game two, but again, Augustana would come out on top, this time by a score of 10-2. The Vikings would score early and often, as they scored four runs in the first two innings to hold an early 4-0 lead over the Huskies before a six run third resulted in a 10-0 lead after three.

St. Cloud State did manage to score two in the top of the fifth thanks to an RBI triple from Vanden Langenberg and RBI fielder's choice from Brooke Bowlin (Chaska, MInn. / Holy Family Academy), but it sadly wasn't enough, as the Huskies fell by a final score of 10-2 in five innings.

With the losses, St. Cloud State's overall record falls to 18-10, and the team is now 0-4 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play. The Huskies will look for their first conference wins of the season on Monday, April 1, as they take on Wayne State College at 12 and 2 p.m. in Wayne, Nebraska.