Softball upends #23 Winona State in NSIC Tourney opener

Thursday, May 13

Rochester, Minn.

12 p.m.

St. Cloud State

27-14

Winona State University

33-11

St. Cloud State

Winona State

Trinty Junker struck out a career high 13 batters in the Huskies 2-1 win over Winona State.

Photo by: NSIC

5/13/2021 4:39:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

ROCHESTER, MINN. The St. Cloud State University softball team played three ranked opponents in 2021: Augustana University, Minnesota State University Mankato and Winona State University. The Huskies split their games with all but one. The Warriors were the lone nationally ranked team to sweep St. Cloud State during the 2021 regular season, defeating the Huskies by scored 5-4 and 3-1 in mid-April.

It might have given Huskies fans pause to see their opening round opponent in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSCI) tournament was none other than the same nationally ranked Winona State team that swept St. Cloud State in the regular season. They need not fear. The Huskies weren't about to let the Warriors win three in a row, as the combined efforts of Trinity Junker (Lindstrom, Minn. / Chisago Lakes) and Raven Vanden Langenberg (Seymour, Wis. / Seymour) guided St. Cloud State to a 2-1 victory over #23 Winona State in the opening round of the NSIC Tournament Thursday afternoon.

The tension could be felt from the start, as the Huskies and Warriors battled to score the first runs of the game. St. Cloud State went down in order in both the top of the first and second innings, while Winona State put at least one runner on in their respective halves of the innings.Both times, the crafty Junker pitched her way out of a jam, getting Libby Neveau to strike out in the first and Carly Kordich to do the same in the bottom of the second.

The Huskies finally got their first base runner in the top of the third, as Maya Keating (Wheaton, Ill. / Wheaton-Warrensville) laced a one-out single to left and was eventually bunted to second by fellow super senior Cassie Francesconi (Schomberg, Ontario / Emily Carr Secondary). The speedy second baseman, though, was caught trying to steal third, ending St. Cloud State's first scoring threat of the game.

The Huskies were merely getting warmed up offensively. After Junker took care of the Warriors offense in the bottom of the third, St. Cloud State went to work in the fourth, opening the inning with a lead off walk by Brooke Bowlin (Chaska, Minn. / Holy Family). Things only got better from there, as the Huskies used a bunt by Megan Conrads (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville South) to get Bowlin in scoring position for Vanden Langenberg. The shortstop battled through four pitches of her at bat before launching the ball over the left field fence, blasting the Huskies to a 2-0 lead with just one out in the inning.

Jasmin Estrada (Litchfield, Minn. / Litchfield) kept things going with a monster double to center before Holly Weinberger (Waconia, Minn. / Waconia) was hit by a pitch to continue the inning for St. Cloud State. The lefties, though, were stranded on the bases, as a strikeout and pop out ended the inning, but not before the Huskies put two on the scoreboard.

The Warriors answered by scoring one run in the bottom of the inning, as Anne Smolenski hit a one out single to score Neveau and cut St. Cloud State's lead to 2-1. Junker, though, held it together in the circle and once again used strikeouts to pitch her way out of the jam. First, she got Teaghan Amwoza to strike out swinging before tallying her second K against Cordich, this time by catching just enough of an outside corner.

The Huskies looked to regain a two-run advantage in the top of the fifth, but Winona State's pesky defense prevented them from doing just that. Despite hits from Keating and Bowlin, St. Cloud State was held scoreless in the top of the fifth, giving the Warriors a chance to tie the game in the bottom half. Again, Junker remained firm, as she pitched her way out of another one-out jam to preserve the 2-1 lead.

History repeated itself in the sixth. The Huskies put a runner on base but were unable to score, and Winona State threatened but had nothing to show for it. That brought the game to the seventh inning. Tension at the RYFSA Complex could be cut like a knife, as both St. Cloud State and Warrior fans held their collect breath, waiting to see who would come out on top.

After a nail biting bottom of the seventh, it was the Huskies who were victorious, as Junker pitched her was around the most intense situation of her collegiate career. Facing the top of Winona State's order, she surrendered hits to both Kolb and Allie Nowak before another single by Neveau loaded the bases with just one out. With a full count against Sam Keller, St. Cloud State fans stopped breathing and briefly exhaled when the Warriors right fielder swung and missed for the second out of the inning.

The game certainly wasn't over, however, as Winona State beat the Huskies not once but twice in the regular season with two out rallies in the sixth or seventh innings. Junker seemed completely unphased by that fact as she made quick work of Riley Stout. Literally. On the first pitch of the at bat, the catcher lifted a pitch to right field where it landed snuggly in Weinberger's glove to clinch the 2-1 win for St. Cloud State.

Vanden Langenberg and Junker were the stars of the show for the Huskies in the victory, though several others found success at the plate and in the field. As a team, St. Cloud State hit for the cycle thanks to multiple singles, Estrada's double, Bowlin's triple and Vanden Langenberg's home run while five different players tallied at least one hit.

Junker earned, perhaps, the biggest win of her collegiate career, as she went the distance by putting in seven complete innings of work. The first year surrendered just one earned run and nine and tallied a career high 13 strikeouts in the victory.

With the win, the Huskies overall record improves to 27-14 and they advance directly to the semifinal round of the NSIC Tournament. St. Cloud State's second round opponent will be none other than No. 17 Minnesota State who defeated Southwest Minnesota State 6-0 in its Thursday opener. Friday's game is slated to begin at 12 p.m. at the RYFSA Complex in Rochester, Minnesota.