Softball splits at Washburn Invite

Saturday, February 26

Topeka, KS

12:30 p.m. CT

St. Cloud State

3-4

Fort Hays State University

5-8

St. Cloud State

Fort Hays State

Sydney Trees went 2-3 in the Huskies win over Newman with two home runs and five RBI.

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

2/26/2022 8:30:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Huskies fall to Fort Hays State 6-3 before beating Newman 5-0

ST. CLOUD, MINN. – The St. Cloud State University softball team earned a split on the team's first day at the Washburn Invite in Topeka, Kansas. The Huskies fell in their weekend opener to Fort Hays State University 6-3 before rebounding with a 5-0 shutout of Newman University. With the split, St. Cloud State is now 4-2 on the season.

GAME ONE: St. Cloud State (3) vs. Fort Hays State (6)
St. Cloud State fell in its first game of the day by a final score of 6-3. After falling behind 3-0 in the third inning, the Huskies put together a furious rally, as Raven Vanden Langenberg (Seymour, Wis. / Seymour) blasted a two-run home run over the right field fence to cut the Tigers lead to 3-2 in the fourth. Unfortunately, Fort Hayes answered with two runs of its own, one in the fourth and one in the fifth, to make it 5-2 after five.

Again, St. Cloud State wasn't down for the count, as Sophie Culhane's (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) double to left center allowed Vanden Langenberg to score uncontested, once again cutting the deficit in half to 5-3. Once again, the Tigers answered by scored another run in the sixth, but the Huskies still had three outs to tie things up in the top of the seventh. A comeback seemed like a distinct possibility, as Jasmin Estrada (Litchfield, Minn. / Litchfield) tallied a single up the middle to give St. Cloud State a base runner with no outs. Kylie Thomsen (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Elk Grove Village) bunted Estrada over to the second, but it was for not, as the senior was stranded at two, resulting in the 6-3 loss for the Huskies.

GAME TWO: St. Cloud State (5) vs. Newman (0)
St. Cloud State course corrected in game two, as Sydney Trees (Prior Lake, Minn. / Prior Lake) set the tone early for the Huskies offense. With two runners on in the bottom of the first, the senior catcher blasted a home run over the right center fence, giving St. Cloud State an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. She would nearly double it in the bottom of the third, as Trees blasted a two run home run to bolster the Huskies lead to 5-0.

A 1-0 lead would have been enough for Trinity Junker (Lindstrom, Minn. / Chisago Lakes), who was once again flawless in the circle. The junior threw seven shutout innings against the Jets Saturday afternoon, surrendering five hits while tallying 10 strikeouts in her third victory of the season.

TOP HUSKIES

Raven Vanden Langenberg (Seymour, Wis. / Seymour) was the top hitter in the Huskies loss to Fort Hays State, going 1-3 at the plate with two runs and two RBI.
Sophie Culhane (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove), Sydney Trees (Prior Lake, Minn. / Prior Lake), and Haley McFarlane (Swisher, Iowa / Cedar Rapids Prairie) all recorded multiple hits in St. Cloud State's win over Newman. Culhane was 2-2 with two runs, while Trees went 2-3 with two runs and five RBI. McFarlane also went 2-3 at the plate.
Trinity Junker (Lindstrom, Minn. / Chisago Lakes) earned her third win of the season, pitching seven strong innings in the circle for St. Cloud State with 10 strikeouts.

UP NEXT
The Huskies will close out their trip to Kansas Sunday morning, as they face Pittsburg State and Emporia State on the final day of the Washburn Invite. First pitch against the Gorillas is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. with the game against Emporia to follow immediately.