Huskies NSIC Tournament run ends Friday

Friday, May 6

Rochester, Minn.

12:00 p.m. CT

St. Cloud State

36-17

Augustana University (SD)

45-8

St. Cloud State

Augustana

The Huskies wait for Sydney Trees at home plate in game one against Augustana.

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

5/6/2022 4:44:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

St. Cloud State drops two one-run contests to #11 Augustana, Sioux Falls

ROCHESTER, MINN. – There wasn't much the St. Cloud State University softball team didn't accomplish in 2022. The Huskies set multiple program records during the course of the season and qualified for the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Tournament in the process. On Friday, despite two hard fought games, St. Cloud State's trip to Rochester, Minnesota came to close, as the team fell to #11 Augustana 5-4 and Sioux Falls 3-2 in an elimination game. With the losses, the Huskies record stands at 36-18 with a 23-7 mark in NSIC play.

GAME ONE: St. Cloud State (4) vs. #11 Augustana (5)

The Huskies hitters were aggressive at the plate against Vikings No. 2 pitcher Amber Elliot, and it paid off in the top of the first innings. Senior shortstop Raven Vanden Langenberg (Seymour, Wis. / Seymour) drew a walk to open the game, eventually advancing to second on a left side single by Jasmin Estrada (Litchfield, Minn. / Litchfield). The senior duo wouldn't have to do much to score the first runs of the ball game. After Estrada's single, Sydney Trees (Prior Lake, Minn. / Prior Lake) sent a ball into the complex parking lot, giving St. Cloud State the early 3-0 lead over the #11 team in the nation.

Augsutana wasted no time cutting the lead to 3-1, as the nation's home run leader Mary Pardo sent a Trinity Junker (Lindstro, Minn. / Chisago Lakes) change up for the left field fence, whittling the Huskies lead to two runs. From that point on, it was clear this would be an offensive slugfest, as the Vikings cut the lead to 3-2 before the end of the first. The Huskies, in turn, threatened in the top of the second, as a Lydia Krueger (Appleton, Wis. / North) drew a lead off walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kaitlyn istvanovich (Lindstron, Minn. / Chisago Lakes). The sophomore second baseman would not advance past her base, as she was stranded at second to end the inning.

The Vikings tied the game and took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the second, prompting head coach Mitch Roberts to sub in Lauren Kirchberg (Columbus, Wis. / Columbus) as the pitcher. Kirchberg stopped the bleeding and kept Augustana off the board in the third inning, giving St. Cloud State a chance to tie the game in the top of the fourth. Haley McFarlane (Swisher, Iowa / Cedar Rapids Prairie) was hit by a pitch to open the inning and scored all the way from first on the longest triple ever hit by Alexandra Pinkowksi (Prior Lake, Minn. / Prior Lake), evening the score at 4-4.

The score would remain deadlocked at 4-4 through six and a half innings of play despite both teams efforts to break the tie. Unfortunately for St. Cloud State fans, it was Augustana that earned the walk off win, using two singles in the bottom of the seventh to beat the Huskies by a final score of 5-4.

GAME TWO: St. Cloud State (2) vs. Sioux Falls (3)
Unlike game one, the Huskies had to wait for their first runs of game two despite loading the bases in both the first and second innings. On the plus side, St. Cloud State's defense and Kylie Thomsen (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Elk Grove Village) held the Cougars off the board, biding the Huskies time to solve Sioux Falls' ace Hannah Cress. It was Sioux Falls that figured out Thomsen first, as the visitors scored three runs in the top of the fifth to hold a 3-0 lead over St. Cloud State.

Trailing 3-0 in the seventh, Roberts looked to Sophie Culhane (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) to ignite the Huskies rally. The junior did exactly what she needed to do, singling to left field to give St. Cloud State a base runner with no outs. It was then up to Brooke Bowlin (Chaska, Minn. / Holy Family) and the top of the Huskies order to plate at least three runs to send the game to extras. Bowlin struck out swinging, but chaos ensued during Vanden Langenberg's at bat. The senior earned a four-pitch walk and casually walked toward second, trying to draw a throw. Her ploy worked. When Cress through to second, Vanden Langenberg got into a run down, allowing Istanovich to score from third. The play wasn't over, though, as Vanden Langenberg scored on a throwing error by the catcher trying to take third, cutting the Cougars lead to 3-2.

After Weinberger grounded out to the pitcher, Estrada kept the Huskies' season alive, booting a ball to left field to put another runner on first. Her pinch runner, Tenley Quesnell (Boise, Idaho / Timberland) seemed poised to score the game tying run. The sophomore broke from first and was already halfway to third on a supposed bloop single from Trees. The ball somehow ended up in the glove of Sioux Falls shortstop, ending the game with the Huskies in a 3-2 deficit.

TOP HUSKIES

Sydney Trees (Prior Lake, Minn. / Prior Lake) hit her 17th home run of the season Friday afternoon, going 1-3 at the plate with a run and three RBI. She additionally tied the program record for single-season home runs in the loss.
Trinity Junker (Lindstrom, Minn. / Chisago Lakes) took a no decision in game one despite surrendering four runs, three earned, in one and two-thirds innings of work. Lauren Kirchberg (Columbus, Wis. / Columbus) surrendered the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh after 5.0 innings of near flawless work.
Haley McFarlane (Swisher, Iowa / Cedar Rapids Prairie), Jasmin Estrada (Litchfield, Minn. / Litchfield) and Sophie Culhane (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) were the lone Huskies to tally hits against Sioux Falls, while Kylie Thomsen (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Elk Grove Village) took the loss in the circle.

UP NEXT
The Huskies season most likely ends, though the team could earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament thanks to key wins over Augustana, Minnesota State and Minnesota-Duluth, all of whom were ranked in the Regional Polls this past week.