Huskies drop two in NSIC opener

Tuesday, March 30

St. Cloud, Minn.

1 p.m.

St. Cloud State

11-4, 0-1

University of Minnesota Duluth

11-4, 1-0

Minnesota-Duluth

St. Cloud State

Sophie Culhane hits a double in the Huskies second game against Minnesota-Duluth Tuesday afternoon.

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

3/30/2021 8:37:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

ST. CLOUD, MINN. -After missing out on conference play in 2020, the St. Cloud State University softball team was eagerly anticipating its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) opening doubleheader against the University of Minnesota-Duluth. It wasn't quite the opening to the season the Huskies were hoping for. Despite strong performances by several student-athletes, St. Cloud State dropped two games in its NSIC opening doubleheader, falling to Minnesota-Duluth by identical scores of 6-3.

The first game between the Huskies and Bulldogs was a dog fight that lasted eight innings because seven just wasn't enough to determine a victory. From the get go, it was clear the game would be tightly contested, as both teams threatened with runners in scoring position in the first inning. Neither team was able to plate a run, though. Sydney LaPoint (Green Bay, Wis, /Bay Port) pitched her way out of the first inning jam with a fly out to right field, while Minnesota-Duluth perfectly executed a first and third play to get out of the inning unscathed.

After the first inning, the two pitchers settled into a rhythm, as neither team generated any grade A scoring chances. Both put runners on base, but it wasn't until the fourth inning when anyone scored. Sadly for Huskies fans, it was the Bulldogs who scored the first runs of the game, as they put up two in the top of the fourth courtesy of an RBI double by Elle Potts.

St. Cloud State responded in the bottom of the fifth, scoring two runs of its own to even the score at 2-2. After Brooke Bowlin (Chaska, Minn. / Holy Family) drew a one out walk, Maya Keating (Wheaton, Ill. / Wheaton-Warrensville) reached on an error, allowing the speedy Bowlin to advance to third to put a runner in scoring position with one out. Bowlin then scored on a ground out by Holly Weinberger (Waconia, Minn. / Waconia), before Keating was brought around on an RBI double by Raven Vanden Langenberg (Seymour, Wis. / Seymour) to tie things at 2-2.
The 2-2 draw held until the top of the seventh, when Minnesota-Duluth took a seemingly definitive 3-2 lead. The Huskies, though, doubled down and rallied, tying the game on a Bulldog error to force extra innings.

A three-run eighth inning resulted in the 6-3 win for Minnesota-Duluth, though it looked like St. Cloud State would once again rally to force a ninth. After Megan Conrads (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville South) and Haley McFarlane (Swisher, Iowa / Cedar Rapids Prairie) hit back-to-back singles, an errant pitch by the Minnesota-Duluth pitcher put runners on second and third with just one out on the board. The Huskies were unable to bring their runners around, though, resulting in the 6-3 victory for the Bulldogs.

St. Cloud State looked to rebound in game two, but Minnesota-Duluth took an early 1-0 lead in the first, getting two quick hits off Kylie Thomsen (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Elk Grove Village) in the inning. When the Huskies were unable to answer, the Bulldogs added another run in the third in similar fashion, this time to take a 2-0 lead.

The 2-0 lead seemingly sparked something in St. Cloud State, as the team scored two runs in the bottom of the third to even things up at 2-2. Sophie Culhane (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) hit a leadoff double to open the inning, prompting head coach Paula U'Ren to put in Kaitlyn Istvanovich (Lindstrom, Minn. / Chisago Lakes) in as a pinch runner at second. Istvanovich later scored on a double by Cassie Francesconi (Schomberg, Ontario / Emily Carr Secondary), cutting the Minnesota-Duluth lead to 2-1.

The Huskies weren't done scoring that inning, though, as Francesconi eventually tied the game on a bunt by Conrads. The Bulldogs, though, wasted no time regaining a lead, as they hit a home run in the top of the fourth to take a 3-2 advantage. Minnesota-Duluth then added two runs in the fifth, extending its lead to 5-2 over St. Cloud State.

Culhane single handedly cut the lead to 5-3, as she hit her first collegiate home run in the bottom of the fifth to cut the deficit to two. Unfortunately, the Huskies were never able to make up the difference, as the Bulldogs added an insurance run in the top of the seventh to secure the 6-3 victory.

Bowlin was the team's top hitter in game one, going 2-3 at the plate with a run and two walks. Culhane put up career numbers in game two, going 2-3 at the plate with a double and home run in her first official collegiate start.

Trinity Junker (Lindstrom, Minn. / Chisago Lakes) suffered her first loss of the season in game one, while Thomsen was the pitcher of record in game two.

With the losses, St. Cloud State's overall record now stands at 11-5, and the team opens the NSIC season with a 0-2 record. The Huskies will look for their first conference wins of the season on Friday when they host nationals ranked Augustana at 12 and 2 p.m. in the Husky Dome.