Softball faces Minnesota-Crookston in midweek doubleheader

Thursday, April 22

Crookston, MN

1:30 p.m.

St. Cloud State

University of Minnesota Crookston

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

4/21/2021 2:09:00 PM | Softball

ST. CLOUD, MINN. - It seems like forever and a day ago since the St. Cloud State University softball team played games in the middle of the week, let alone Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) doubleheaders. Well, that stretch is over, as the Huskies return to midweek competition this upcoming Thursday. Their first midweek opponent in over three weeks: the University of Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles.

Minnesota-Crookston will host St. Cloud State in an Earth Day special on Thursday, April 22. Game one between the Huskies and Golden Eagles is slated to begin at 1:30 p.m. in Crookston, Minnesota with game two to follow at roughly 3:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available for both games, and score updates will be made to the team's official Twitter account (@SCSUHUSKIES_SB) when possible.

Here are the five things to know before Thursday's doubleheader against Minnesota-Crookston:

.166 / .833 - St. Cloud State is looking to improve its win percentage on the road Thursday afternoon, as the team has struggled away from the comforts of home in 2021. When playing in the Husky Dome or at Selke Field, the Huskies have gone 15-3 with a .833 win percentage. However, the team is just 1-5 in road games this season with a .166 win percentage. That could all change Thursday, as St. Cloud State is 10-0 in its last 10 meetings with Minnesota-Crookston and have not lost a game to the Golden Eagles since 2014.

4-3 - The last time the Golden Eagles defeated the Huskies was on April 8, 2014 and it was a away game. Minnesota-Crookston took an early 1-0 lead over St. Cloud State in the bottom of the third, but a big three-run sixth inning from the Huskies helped them storm back to a 3-1 lead. Unfortunately, St. Cloud State could not hold its two run advantage, as the Golden Eagles scored three runs on three hits in the bottom of the inning to secure the 4-3 victory.

1 - In 2019, then first-year pitcher Sydney LaPoint (Green Bay, Wis. / Bay Port) was an out away from throwing a perfect game against Minnesota-Crookston, as the Huskies defeated the Golden Eagles in five innings 14-0. In fact, LaPoint sent down 14 consecutive batters before losing both the perfect game and no hitter on a double to left field by designated player Samatha Proctor. Other than the one blemish, the first year was flawless, as the did not allow a single walk and struck out three batters in five complete innings of work.

2.46 - Minnesota-Crookston ace Katie Humhej will most likely be tasked with holding the St. Cloud State bats at bay in at least one of the games during Thursday's doubleheader. The senior from Surrey, British Columbia currently leads the Golden Eagles pitching staff with a 2.46 ERA and has pitched seven complete ames with two shutouts. Additionally, Humhej has racked up 94 strikeouts and walked just 23 batters in 79.2 innings of work, making her one of the top pitchers in the NSIC this season.

10 - Minnesota-Crookstron returns to its home field after 10 consecutive games on the road. In that 10-game stretch, the Golden Eagles posted a 2-8 record with wins over MSU-Moorhead and Upper Iowa. Both wins were low scoring, as Minnesota-Crookston outlasted the Dragons 5-1 before taking down the Peacocks by a score of 3-0 last Saturday. Sofia Gambos earned the first win over MSU-Moorhead, while Humhej was victorious against Upper Iowa.