Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Sioux Falls, S.D. --- The Minnesota State University softball team split with Augustana in Sioux Falls, S.D. winning the first game 4-3 but dropped the second game of the twinbill 9-8. With the split the Mavericks are currently 27-9 overall with a mark of 12-4 in NSIC action.
 
Senior Lauryn Morris wasted no time getting on base, and would eventually cross home plate off of the bat of junior Anna Cole, giving the Mavericks a 1-0 lead after the first inning.
 
The Mavericks would then rattle off a three run fifth inning with two outs as Morris stepped up to the plate and recorded a single, followed by a single off of the bat of senior Abby Sonner, scoring Morris, earning the RBI. Junior Lindsay Erickson then connected on a two run shot, her sixth homerun of the season, extending the Mavericks lead to 4-0 after five complete innings.
 
Augustana would answer the Mavericks three runs with three runs of its own on three hits in the top of the sixth inning, as Emily Heinz recorded a three run homerun of her own. The Viking rally would come up one run short as it was MSU recording the 4-3 victory.
 
Morris led the offensive charge for the Mavericks in the first contest of the day, she recorded two hits on two runs in three at-bats and also recorded one stolen base.
 
Senior pitcher Courtney McKelvogue earned her 15^th win of the campaign giving up three runs on eight hits with three walks and two strikeouts in seven innings of work.
 
Game two of the twinbill started with an offensive outpouring as the Mavericks were the first to get on the scoreboard. Morris and Erickson both found their way on the bases, Morris was walked and Erickson was hit by a pitch, bringing junior Samantha Holien to the plate, she would connect on ninth dinger of the season, scoring Morris, Erickson and herself giving the Mavericks a 3-0 lead.
 
Augustana once again had an answer for the Maverick streak, as the Vikings posted six runs in the top of the second inning as MSU allowed six hits including a three run double taking a 6-3 lead after the top half of the second inning.
 
The Mavericks found themselves in a similar situation in the bottom of the third innings Erickson singled and Holien followed that up with her second homerun on the contest, earning two RBI. Junior Kelly Wood continued the MSU offensive attack as she hit a homerun, bringing the game to a 6-6 tie after three complete innings.
 
Augustana would take a 7-6 lead after the top half of the fourth inning, but the Mavericks answered in the bottom half as Wood hit a two run single scoring Erickson and freshman Emily Bransky giving MSU a 8-7 lead.
 
The resurgent Vikings would record two runs on two hits in the top half of the seven inning taking a 9-8 lead into the final frame of the contest. The Mavericks were unable to garner any offensive production in their half of the seventh inning, falling to Augustana 9-8.
 
Holien led the way for the Maverick offense as she recorded two runs on two hits in four at-bats, both hits were homeruns. She finished the contest with five RBI. Wood tallied one run on two hits in four at-bats with three RBI.
 
Sophomore Brittany Lauterbach got the start in the circle, she saw 3.1 innings of work and gave up seven runs on eight hits. McKelvogue went 3.2 innings in relief and gave up two runs on four hits and was tagged with the loss.
 
MSU is set to square off against Wayne State in its second twinbill of the weekend, scheduled for Sunday in Wayne, Neb., with game times still to be determined.
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