Wednesday, May 1
Sioux Falls, S.D.
Noon CT
St. Cloud State
30-25
6
vs
2
Sioux Falls
20-28
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Sioux Falls
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
5
0
St. Cloud State
0
0
2
4
0
0
X
6
8
0
Junior first baseman Maggie Fitzgerald rounds third base after launching a grand slam against Sioux Falls in the Opening Round of the NSIC Tournament on Wednesday, May 1
Photo by: Kenneth Lenger/Augustana Athletics
Fitzgerald Grand Slam Powers St. Cloud State Softball into the NSIC Tournament Quarterfinals
5/1/2024 4:31:00 PM | Softball
Huskies win 6-2 to advance out of Opening Round, Krueger breaks career HBP record
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – St. Cloud State Softball (30-25, 12-16 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) took an emphatic lead over Sioux Falls (20-28, 11-15) in the fourth inning and didn't look back, picking up a 6-2 NSIC Tournament Opening Round victory. The Huskies advanced to Thursday's Quarterfinals while securing another 30-win season.
The Cougars jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after their leadoff batter opened the game with a full-count triple and scored on a wild pitch during the next at bat.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Huskies bats woke up, as they scored two runs on three hits. Fifth year right fielder Holly Weinberger (Waconia, Minn.) extended her lead on the career doubles record after she laced a ball to left field. Junior first baseman Maggie Fitzgerald (Oak Lawn, Ill.) hit a single in the net at bat, advancing freshman Kori Needham (Milan, Ill.), who pinch ran for Weinberger, to third. Fitzgerald advanced to second on a groundout and freshman shortstop Brooke Holmes (Savage, Minn.) hit a double to center field to score the pair.
The momentum stayed on SCSU's side in its next time up to bat, scoring four runs to extend its lead to 6-1. Senior second baseman Lydia Krueger (Appleton, Wis.) was hit by a pitch for the 22nd time this season and 42nd of her career, giving her sole possession of the career record. Junior catcher Reese Holzhueter (Shakopee, Minn.) singled and Weinberger walked to load the bases for the Huskies with two outs. Fitzgerald stepped up to the plate and delivered in a huge moment for SCSU, belting a grand slam over the wall in left center field to extend the Huskies lead to five.
USF plated its final run in the top of the sixth inning, but that is all it would manage as the Huskies went on to take the game, 6-2.
Besides the lone runs in her first and last inning in the circle, junior right handed pitcher Emma Eickhoff (Becker, Minn.) was extremely solid for SCSU. She picked up her 13th win of the season after logging 6.0 innings. She allowed just two runs on five hits and struck out five USF batters.
Top Huskies
The Huskies will meet the top-seed, Augustana (42-13, 27-1 NSIC) in the Quarterfinals of the NSIC Tournament on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. The game is at Bowden Field on the campus of Augustana in Sioux Falls, S.D. Links to each coverage option will be available on the SCSU Softball schedule page.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Softball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Cougars jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after their leadoff batter opened the game with a full-count triple and scored on a wild pitch during the next at bat.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Huskies bats woke up, as they scored two runs on three hits. Fifth year right fielder Holly Weinberger (Waconia, Minn.) extended her lead on the career doubles record after she laced a ball to left field. Junior first baseman Maggie Fitzgerald (Oak Lawn, Ill.) hit a single in the net at bat, advancing freshman Kori Needham (Milan, Ill.), who pinch ran for Weinberger, to third. Fitzgerald advanced to second on a groundout and freshman shortstop Brooke Holmes (Savage, Minn.) hit a double to center field to score the pair.
The momentum stayed on SCSU's side in its next time up to bat, scoring four runs to extend its lead to 6-1. Senior second baseman Lydia Krueger (Appleton, Wis.) was hit by a pitch for the 22nd time this season and 42nd of her career, giving her sole possession of the career record. Junior catcher Reese Holzhueter (Shakopee, Minn.) singled and Weinberger walked to load the bases for the Huskies with two outs. Fitzgerald stepped up to the plate and delivered in a huge moment for SCSU, belting a grand slam over the wall in left center field to extend the Huskies lead to five.
USF plated its final run in the top of the sixth inning, but that is all it would manage as the Huskies went on to take the game, 6-2.
Besides the lone runs in her first and last inning in the circle, junior right handed pitcher Emma Eickhoff (Becker, Minn.) was extremely solid for SCSU. She picked up her 13th win of the season after logging 6.0 innings. She allowed just two runs on five hits and struck out five USF batters.
Top Huskies
- Fitzgerald - 2-2, Grand Slam, 4 RBI, 2 R
- Eickhoff (W, 13-14) - 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 5 K
- Holmes - 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI
- Weinberger - 1-3, 2B, R
- Krueger - school record 42nd career HBP
- St. Cloud State improved to 18-10 against Sioux Falls all-time, including 4-0 this season.
- The Huskies earned a 30-win season for the third year in a row under head coach Mitch Roberts. It is the 20th time in the program's 55-year history eclipsing the 30-win mark.
- Fitzgerald hit her 14th home run, posted her 15th multi-RBI game (second with 4+) and tallied her 13th multi-hit game. She now has 110 hits and 21 home runs in her career. She surpassed 50 RBI for the season and 95 for her career. The junior has now scored 55 runs in her career.
- Eickhoff surpassed 160.0 innings for the season and 320.0 for her career and 105 strikeouts this season and 235 for her career.
- Holmes hit her 10th double of the season.
- Krueger moved into sole possession of the career HBP record (42), surpassing former teammate Raven Vanden Langenberg (2019-23). Earlier this season Krueger took the single season record from Vanden Langenberg and has increased it by four to 22. Krueger also tied her career best mark for runs in a season (23).
- Holzhueter extended her hitting streak to 10 games.
The Huskies will meet the top-seed, Augustana (42-13, 27-1 NSIC) in the Quarterfinals of the NSIC Tournament on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. The game is at Bowden Field on the campus of Augustana in Sioux Falls, S.D. Links to each coverage option will be available on the SCSU Softball schedule page.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Softball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Eickhoff, Emma (13-14)
L: Duncan, Maddi (13-10)
Batting:
2B: Cuevas, Damaris 1
3B: Naumann, Alannah 1
RBI: Cuevas, Damaris 1
SH: Fry, Hannah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Naumann, Alannah 1 ; Haley, Jayden 1
Batting:
2B: Weinberger, Holly 1 ; Holmes, Brooke 1
HR: Fitzgerald, Maggie 1
RBI: Fitzgerald, Maggie 4 ; Holmes, Brooke 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Holzhueter, Reese 1 ; Weinberger, Holly 1 ; Needham, Kori 1 ; Fitzgerald, Maggie 2 ; Krueger, Lydia 1
HBP: Krueger, Lydia 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
4
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP/UTL
/ Softball1B/3B
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballC/OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballOF/1B
/ SoftballA Day with the Huskies | SCSU Baseball and Softball welcomes Miracle League
Friday, August 25
What's Good, Huskies? | S1E3 | Jasmin Estrada & Raven Vanden Langenberg
Friday, August 25
Mitch Roberts Preseason Interview | 2023
Friday, February 10
SCSU Softball vs Crookston (Doubleheader)
Tuesday, April 12
