Mankato, Minn.---  The Minnesota State softball team split with Winona State on Tuesday afternoon at the MSU Softball Diamond. The Mavericks took down the Warriors in game one, 7-5, before WSU answered back in game two with a 10-2 win over MSU in five innings.

The Mavericks now stand at 29-17 overall and 14-6 in NSIC play.

In game one, the Mavericks overcame the Warriors late rally to pick up the 7-5 victory. MSU came out firing in the first two innings as it scored five of its runs in those two innings. 

In the bottom half of the first, the Mavericks busted out four runs as junior Tatum Klein led the game off with a lead-off single. After a swipe of second base by Klein, junior Emily Bransky soon brought her in after a RBI single up the middle. Couple of batters later sophomore Ashley Thell ripped a RBI double to center field which brought in Bransky from second. Right after that, sophomore Molly Sager kept the inning going with a RBI double off the right field fence to bring in Thell from second. The Mavericks scored its fourth run of the inning after a RBI single from freshman Jess Meidl through the left side, that led to Sager crossing the plate.

In the top of the second WSU would get one run back as Allyson O'Herron posted a infield single that scored Jessica Kullmann.

MSU answered right back in the bottom of the second when sophomore Dana Mogren belted a RBI double to left center that brought in Bransky from first.

In the next two innings both two teams kept quiet, before WSU started to make a rally in the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth Mckenna Larson brought in Lexi Perez from third on fielder's choice, before the Warriors added three more runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game up at 5-5. WSU tallied four hits in the sixth, including a solo home run by Natalie Kalmes and a RBI triple from Reed Karsten.

Going into the bottom of the sixth the Mavericks quickly answered with two runs of their own, after MSU loaded the bases, which led to a two-run double to left field from Bransky. 

Freshman pitcher Libby Bemis got a no decision in the game after pitching 5.2 innings of work. Bemis struck out four Warriors batters, while giving up four earned runs. Sophomore Coley Ries (15-12) came in relief of Bemis in the top of the sixth and picked up the win for MSU. Ries pitched 1.1 innings and tallied two strikeouts. For the Warriors, Hanna Lythberg (16-5) picked up the loss, as she pitched in one inning and gave up three hits and two runs in the bottom of the sixth.

In game two, the Warriors got some revenge on the Mavericks, as MSU fell to WSU, 10-2 in five innings.

Ries (15-13) took the loss for the Mavericks, as she gave up seven earned runs and nine hits in 2.1 innings of work. Junior Katie Koponen came in relief for Ries in the third and pitched 2.2 innings. Koponen struck out two batters, while giving up four hits and two earned runs. Lythberg (17-5) got some revenge in game two, as she picked up the win after pitching all five innings. Lythberg recorded five strikeouts and zero walks.

The Warriors struck quickly in the top of the first after posting a crooked number of five runs on five hits, including two doubles. In the top of the third, WSU added a couple of more insurance runs after a two RBI double from Perez and a little later Karsten brought in Perez from second on RBI single. After three innings, WSU led 8-0.

MSU finally got on the board in the fourth, after a single to right field from sophomore Samantha Buhmann that brought in Thell from third.

In the fifth in final inning, WSU pushed two more runs across the plate after a two RBI double to center field from Morgan Lintz.

The Mavericks pushed across one more run in the bottom of the fifth, as Mogren brought in junior Karli DesLauriers from third on a fielder's choice. However that wasn't enough, as MSU fell to WSU, 10-2.

The Mavericks will return to action this weekend, as they will travel to North Dakota. MSU will take on the University of Mary on Friday and Minot State on Saturday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. on Friday and 12 p.m for Saturday's game's.