Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 MANKATO, Minn. --- No. 8 Minnesota Softball needed one win in the final day of the regular season to claim its third-straight NSIC regular season title and it did just that as it split with Minnesota Duluth. The Mavericks captured the first game 4-0, before falling 6-2 in the doubleheader's finale.
 
With the split, the Mavericks finish their regular season schedule with a 41-9 overall record and went 25-3 in NSIC action earning their third-consecutive regular-season crown. The Bulldogs finish the regular season with a 25-19 overall record while going 11-8 on the circuit.
 
MSU started the day with a 4-0 victory in the first game of the twinbill.
 
The Mavericks found their way on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning as freshmanAshley Thell posted the game's first hit, stole second and eventually scored when sophomoreKarli DesLauriers reached on a fielding error, giving MSU a 1-0 lead after two complete innings of play.
 
MSU added three runs on three hits in the bottom of fourth inning as Thell reached via fielder's choice, followed by a single from sophomore Tatum Klein before junior Chelsea Riordanconnected on her first home run of the season, pushing MSU's lead to 4-0 after four complete innings.
 
The Bulldogs were able to record a hit in the top of the sixth inning to disrupt freshman Coley Ries' hitless game. Ries improved to 21-3 overall and posted her sixth shutout of the season. The Eagle Lake, Minn., product went seven innings allowing one hit and one walk with 16 strikeouts.
 
Offensively, Riordan posted one run on one hit with three RBI, while Thell finished the game with two runs on one hit.
 
MSU finished the day with a 6-2 loss to the Bulldogs.
 
The Mavericks struck first in the bottom of the first inning as senior Lindsay Erickson singled to right field before being batted in by an RBI-single from Thell giving MSU an early 1-0 lead after the first inning of play.
 
The Bulldogs took their first lead of the day in the top of the sixth inning as Mariah Schultz connected on a two-run home run giving UMD a 2-1 advantage after the top half of the sixth.
 
MSU responded with one run on two hits in the bottom of the sixth inning as sophomore Laura Milligan made her way across the dish acting as a pinch runner for senior Anna Cole. Klein was credited with the RBI, bringing the score to 2-2 headed into the final inning of play.
 
UMD exploded for four runs on three hits with one Minnesota State error as it went on to earn the split with a 6-2 win in game two of the twinbill.
 
Junior Brittany Lauterbach started the game, she went five innings surrendering two runs with five strikeouts, but Ries was tagged with the loss. Ries pitched the final two innings allowing four runs on four hits with one strikeout, dropping her record to 21-4 on the season.
 
Thell was one of three Mavericks to record multiple hits as she finished with three hits in three at bats with one RBI. Erickson and Cole each added two hits of their own.
 
With their 25-3 conference record, the Mavericks earned the top-seed in the NSIC Conference Tournament and will begin tournament action at 2:00 p.m., on Thursday in Sioux Falls, S.D. MSU's opponent is still to be determined.