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Box Score 2 Wayne, Neb. --- The Minnesota State softball team pushed its winning streak to six games Wednesday afternoon as the Mavericks earned a 3-1 and 4-0 victory over Wayne State in Northern Sun Intercollegiate softball action.
In the opening game of the doubleheader, Minnesota State jumped to a 2-0 lead through five innings and held on for a 3-1 victory.
Sophomore rightfielder Amanda Umhoefer opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the third as she led off with a double to leftfield. Senior second baseman Abby Morris moved Umhoefer to third on a sacrifice bunt before she came around to score on a squeeze bunt off the bat of senior shortstop Libbie Reichling, staking the Mavericks to a 1-0 lead.
Umhoefer led off the top of the fifth with a double to right center before coming around to score on an RBI single off the bat of junior first baseman Natalie Spicer, giving the Mavericks a 2-0 lead after four and a half innings.
Wayne State answered with a run in the bottom of the sixth as Sam Earleywine hit a one-out double to right field. Earleywine then came around to score when Jennifer Radley singled to the pitcher, cutting the Maverick lead to 2-1.
Minnesota State added an insurance run in the top of the seventh as Morris hit a one-out double to left-center. She then came around to score when senior catcher Kelsey Thompson singled to left field, giving MSU a 3-1 advantage.
Umhoefer finished the day with a 2-for-3 performance from the plate. Both of Umhoefer’s hits were doubles and she scored MSU’s only run of the game.
Sophomore pitcher Kendra Huettl went the distance to earn the win, her 12th of the season. She scattered five hits and struck out two. Huettl took advantage of 13 ground ball outs in the win and only issued two free passes (one walk and one hit by a pitch).
In the nightcap, Reichling reached on a fielder’s choice in the top of the first and moved to third on a throwing error. She then scored when Thompson singled up the middle, giving the Mavericks a 1-0 edge.
The Mavericks added two more runs in the fifth as Umhoefer hit a one-out double to right center and then scored on a single off the bat of Reichling. Morris – who reached on a walk – would score on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Spicer.
The Mavericks plated a third run in the inning when Thompson reached on an infield hit, scoring Reichling.
Wayne State threatened in the bottom of the fifth as it loaded the bases with no outs. Huettl worked her way out of the jam as she got Hannah Engelkamp to line out into a double play before Amber Baird flew out to third to end the inning as the Mavericks escaped unscathed.
Thompson paced the Mavericks at the plate with a 3-for-4 effort with two runs batted in while Reichling went 1-for-4 with two runs scored.
Redshirt freshman pitcher Courtney McKelvogue worked an inning and a third before leaving after allowing three hits, two walks and a hit batsman.
Huettl finished the game working the final five-and-two-thirds innings allowing six hits and striking out three.
The Mavericks (25-9, 11-5 NSIC) host MSU Moorhead Saturday at 1 p.m., at the diamond at Gage Towers.
Notes: Sophomore leftfielder Chelsea Erickson went 1-for-2 in the opener before going hitless in the nightcap, seeing her team-high nine-game hitting streak come to an end…Senior second baseman Abby Morris drew a walk in the second game – the 73rd of her career – establishing a new career record for walks at Minnesota State…Senior catcher Kelsey Thompson recorded a hit in both games and has pushed her hitting streak to six games, the longest active such streak on the squad…MSU recorded a shutout for the third time in its last four games…In MSU’s last nine games, sophomore pitcher Kendra Huettl has pitched to a 5-2 record…Thompson leads MSU in hitting in this six-game hitting streak with a .550 average, while sophomore Amanda Umhoefer is batting .471 with eight hits – including three doubles and a triple.
To view the stats from Game 1, click HERE
To view the stats from Game 2, click HERE
