Mankato, Minn.— The #6 Minnesota State (31-8, 8-4 NSIC) women’s softball team dropped two games Wednesday to #17 Augustana at the Diamond at Gage Towers. The 7-2 and 12-6 losses sinks the Mavericks down to in fifth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference standings.

 

In a game with no walks, the Vikings jumped on the Mavericks early as they put up four runs in the first inning of game one off four hits and one error. AC added one run in the top of the third.

 

MSU would break the zero on the board when it scored two runs in the bottom of the  third inning. After a Melanie Upchurch single, sophomore left fielder Lauryn Morris gave the Mavericks a spark, hitting a line-drive double to the gap in center field. Upchurch and Morris would score off an error and a Julie O’Neal hit to shrink the Viking lead to 5-2.

 

The two runs in the second inning would be all MSU would generate in a game where it was out-hit, 10-7.

 

O’Neal, Upchurch and Morris all recorded two hits in the loss. Junior Kendra Huettl pitched 2.1 innings, giving up five runs, while three were unearned. Sophomore pitcher Courtney McKelvogue finished the final 4.2 innings striking out eight, giving up three hits.

 

In game two of the doubleheader, the Mavericks matched the ten hits that the Viking hits. What didn’t match were the amount errors, as MSU has four and AC has two.

 

 Augustana jumped out early again, scoring three in runs in the first.

 

MSU responded by tallying a run off two hits and an error in the bottom of the first. Morris walked and would eventually be brought around by a Natalie Spicer single and a O’Neal double.

 

Augustana would continue to score in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings, with its first four hitters amounted to eight of the 12 runs.

 

Minnesota State scored two in the fourth and two in the fifth to drive the score to 12-5. In the fifth inning Kelly Wood hit her seventh home run of the season, tying the team-lead in homers.

 

Lindsay Erickson scored the final run of the game in the bottom of the seventh for MSU, guiding the Mavericks to a 12-6 loss.  

 

MSU used three different pitchers in the game, as Courtney McKelvogue was credited with the loss. McKelvogue went 1.2 innings, giving up four hits and five runs. Kristen Fah went 2.2 innings, giving up seven runs with three being earned runs. Huettl finished the last 2.2 innings, giving up just on hit.

 

Upchurch and O’Neal had two hits for Minnesota State in the game. Morris and Wood tallied two RBI in the second game.

 

Minnesota State (31-8, 8-4 NSIC) will continue action Saturday against Upper Iowa (5-28, 1-9 NSIC) in a doubleheader at the Diamond at Gage Towers in Mankato, Minn. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.

                                                   

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