Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 MANKATO, Minn. --- The 12th-rated Minnesota State softball strung together another conference sweep Tuesday afternoon as it downed the University of Sioux Falls 3-0 and 11-3 in six innings.
 
With the wins, MSU improves to 38-8 on the season, including a mark of 22-2 in NSIC play. With the losses, Sioux Falls drops to 28-13 on the season, including a 16-9 league record.
 
The Mavericks began the day posting a 3-0 win over the Cougars.
 
MSU struck first in the bottom of the third inning. With two outs, senior Lindsay Erickson coaxed a walk, and advanced to third on a single to center field from senior Anna Cole. Senior Kelly Wood then drove in Erickson with an RBI-single to give the Mavericks a 1-0 lead.
 
The Mavericks followed up with a two-run bottom of the fifth to increase their lead to 3-0. With one gone, senior Samantha Holien reached base with a single. USF managed to get the second out, but Cole came through with an RBI-triple to give the Mavericks a 2-0 lead. Wood followed up with a single through the middle to increase MSU's lead to 3-0 before the Cougars could record the final out of the inning.
 
Freshman pitcher Coley Ries kept the Cougar hitters in check all game long as she improved to 19-3 on the season, posting her fifth shutout of the season. She also notched 14 strikeouts, while giving up just two hits and two walks. Amanda Walters (17-7) was saddled with the loss as she gave up three runs, on seven hits, through six innings of work. 
 
The Mavericks finished the day with an 11-3 win in six innings.
 
The Cougars struck first in the second game of the twinbill. In the top of the second, Andrea Sheppard-Kauwalu drove in the game's first run with an RBI-double to put the Cougars up 1-0.
 
The Mavericks answered right back in the bottom of the second as MSU managed to get a pair of base runners after a single and an error. With two outs, sophomore Emily Bransky plated both runners with an RBI-triple to put MSU in front 2-1 after two innings of play.
 
MSU added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to go up 4-1. A single and a fielding error put two runners on for Bransky who notched her second two-run triple of the day. 
 
Sioux Falls added two runs on two hits with one Maverick error in the top of the fifth inning, cutting the Mavericks' lead to 4-3.
 
Ries returned to the circle in the top of the sixth inning and struck out two batters, keeping MSU on top 4-3 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.
 
The Mavericks exploded for seven runs on seven hits with one Cougar error in the bottom of the sixth inning, securing the 11-3 victory in walk-off fashion capped by a two-run dinger off the bat of freshman Ashley Thell, her third collegiate home run.
 
Junior Brittany Lauterbach earned the win, she pitched five innings allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits with three strikeouts and improved to 17-5 on the season. Ries saw one inning of relief work, earning her second save of the season.
 
Branksy posted one run on three hits with four RBI, while Thell finished the game with two runs on two hits with two RBI.

MSU continues its six-game homestand Saturday as it hosts a doubleheader against the St. Cloud State Huskies. The first pitch is set for 1 p.m.
 
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