MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State softball team will trek north this weekend, as the Mavericks will take on the University of Mary Marauders and the Minot State Beavers. MSU will take on the Marauders in Bismarck, N.D., on Saturday with first pitch set for 1 p.m., before taking on the Beavers in Minot, N.D. Sunday at 12 p.m.

Upcoming Games:

Date	Opponent	Location	Time (CT)
4/18	University of Mary (DH)	Bismarck, N.D.	1 p.m./3 p.m.
4/19	Minot State (DH)	Minot, N.D.	12 p.m./2 p.m.

From The Last Time Out: The Mavericks split their doubleheader with Winona State from earlier this week on Tuesday. In game one, MSU took an early 5-1 lead through two innings over WSU, before the Warriors clawed their way back in the fifth and sixth innings to tie the game up at 5-5 going into the bottom of the sixth.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Mavericks were able to quickly retake their lead, as they loaded the bases for junior Emily Bransky and she made WSU pay as she ripped a two RBI double over the left fielder's head. In the end, MSU held on to the 7-5 win in game one over WSU.

Unfortunately it was a different story in game two, as the Warriors poured in eight runs in the first three innings of game. The Mavericks finally got on the board in the fourth as sophomore Samantha Buhmann recorded a RBI single to right field that brought in sophomore Ashley Thell. 

However it wasn't enough, as MSU fell to WSU in five innings, 10-2. After the split, the Mavericks currently hold a 29-17 overall record and a 14-6 record in NSIC play.

On the day, Bransky and junior Tatum Klein each tallied four hits and one stolen base, while Bransky also added three RBI and two runs. Freshman Jess Meidl, Buhmann and Thell each collected two hits and one RBI a piece, as both of Thell's hits were doubles.

Freshman pitcher Libby Bemis started in game one and got a "no decision" after pitching 5.2 innings and striking out four batters. Sophomore Coley Ries picked up the win for the Mavericks in game one after coming in for relief for Bemis in the sixth inning. Ries also started in game two and took the loss for MSU, as she gave up seven earned runs in 3.2 innings of work. Junior Katie Koponen came in relief for Ries in the fourth and finished out the game, as she struck out two batters while giving up four hits and two earned runs.

About U-Mary: The Marauders hold a 19-26 overall record and an 8-11 record in NSIC play. U-Mary is coached by KJ Kelley who is her second year on the job. The Mavericks own a 6-6 all-time record against the Marauders.

 As a team, U-Mary is batting .304 from the plate and owns a slugging percentage of .417.  The Marauders have posted 21 home runs on the year and rank first in the NSIC in stolen bases (132), second in triples (15) and third in total hits (381). 

From the circle, U-Mary owns a 4.26 ERA and is holding its opponents to a .292 batting average. The Marauders also rank second in the NSIC in innings pitched with 299.1 and place fifth with 259 strikeouts on the season.

U-Mary is led by junior Alana Norman who leads the team with a .452 batting average, 70 hits, 38 stolen bases, 37 runs and 14 walks.  Sophomore Taylor Mendez leads the team with nine home runs and 37 RBI on the year. Mendez has also tallied 29 runs, eight stolen bases, seven walks, eight doubles and two triples, with a .329 average from the plate. Senior Julissa Perales has added 31 RBI, eight doubles, three home runs, three triples and 24 runs scored for U-Mary.

Freshman Nena Dudley leads the pitching staff, as she has notched a 15-13 record on the year, while pitching in 174.1 innings of work. Dudley has made 36 appearances this season and has fanned 178 batters while holding her opponents to a .275 batting average.

About Minot State: The Beavers hold a 27-16 overall record and an 8-12 record in conference play. MISU is coached by Bill Triplett who is currently in his eight season at the helm. The Mavericks own a perfect 5-0 all-time record against the Beavers.

As a team, MISU falls in the top-five in an array of offensive statistical categories. The Beavers rank first in the NSIC in total walks (130), second in RBI (227) and total bases (563), third in slugging percentage (.472), on base percentage (.390), runs scored (241), home runs (38), fourth in hits (379) and fifth in doubles (56).

In the circle, the Beavers rank third in ERA with 2.67 and sixth in opposing batting average with .266.

MISU has six players currently hitting .300 or better from the plate and has four players with at least 30 RBI on the season. Sophomore Jordan Grant leads the squad with a blazing .459 batting average, 45 runs scored and 27 stolen bases on the season, while senior Ali Cygan leads MISU with 44 RBI and 10 doubles. Cygan has also recorded 16 walks, 15 stolen bases, 33 runs, six home runs and three triples. Freshman Ashley Hill sits right behind with 43 RBI on the season and is tied for a team-leading eight home runs, while batting .329 from the plate. Senior Melissa Bell sits second on the team with a .383 batting average and 38 runs scored. Bell has also accumulated a team-leading 21 walks, along with 38 RBI, seven doubles, six home runs and three triples.

Senior Mindy Lorimor leads MISU with a 17-11 record this season, as she has posted 19 complete games, 127 strikeouts and a .258 opposing batting average. Sophomore Alyssa Cornejo leads the team with a 2.49 ERA, as she has posted an 8-4 record this season, along with 92 strikeouts.

How We Stack Up: As a team, the Mavericks   offensively sit first in the NSIC in triples (22) second in sac flies (15), stolen bases (124), hits (395), batting average (.319), third in doubles (63), fourth in on base percentage (.378), runs scored (229), RBI (194), total bases (553) and fifth in slugging percentage (.446) and walks (109).

Pitching wise, MSU ranks first in the conference in innings pitched (296.1), second in strikeouts (331), third in opposing batting average (.237) and fourth in ERA (3.04).

Individually Speaking: Junior Tatum Klein places in the top-ten in a variety of categories in the NSIC. She ranks first in stolen bases (39) and total plate appearances (177), third in hits (68) tied for fourth in triples (4), sixth in runs scored (40), and seventh in batting average (.431).

Freshman Jess Meidl finds herself ranked tied for first in triples (5) and tied for fifth in stolen bases (22). 

Sophomore Dana Mogren is tied for fifth in doubles with 12.

Junior Emily Bransky is tied for fifth in the NSIC in stolen bases with 22, tied for eighth in triple (3), ninth in batting average (.421) and tenth in on base percentage (.470).

Both sophomore's Ashley Thell and Molly Sager are tied for eighth in sac flies with three a piece.

Sophomore Samantha Buhmann is tied for eighth with three triples.

Sophomore Coley Ries finds herself in the top-ten of a number of categories. Ries ranks first in strikeouts (217), third in opposing batting average (.219), fourth in innings pitched (161.0), tied for fifth in wins (15) and tenth in ERA (2.78).

Freshman pitcher Libby Bemis ranks seventh in ERA (2.65) and opposing batting average (.238), and finally tied for ninth in wins (14).


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