BENTONVILLE, Ark. --- The Minnesota State softball team split its games on its season opener Friday as it was shutout by Arkansas Tech 8-0 in six innings, before it defeated East Central University 7-6. MSU now owns a 1-1 record.
In game one MSU was shutout by ATU as it fell 8-0. Junior pitcher Coley Ries picked up the loss for the Mavericks as she completed five innings as she gave up five earned runs and four walks, while recording seven strikeouts. The Golden Suns pitcher Jalissa Gum pitched a complete game as she held the Mavericks to just two hits and two walks, while striking out five batters.
ATU's Janie Knowles got the Golden Suns in the scoring column in the bottom of the second as she hit a solo shot to center field.
The score stayed the same heading into the bottom of the fifth before the Golden Suns rallied off seven runs in their next two innings at the plate. In the fifth, ATU loaded the bases and brought in four runners home to push its lead to 5-0 through five innings. In the sixth inning, sophomore pitcher
Libby Bemis came on in relief of Ries and the Golden Suns accumulated three more runs in the inning to finish the game.
MSU's best scoring opportunity came in the top of the fifth as sophomore
Alyssa Rickels and senior
Karli DesLauriers were on first and second with one out. However MSU was never able to move the runners across the plate.
The Mavericks' two hits came from junior
Dana Mogren, who singled, and sophomore
Kara Lattery, who ripped a double down the right field line.
MSU finished its day with a 7-6 win over the East Central Tigers. Ries (1-1), who came on in relief of Bemis, picked up the win, while Kelbie Crelia (1-2) took the loss.
The Tigers would jump out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Autumn Suydam scored on a throwing error, before Lauren Reeves recorded a solo home run. The Mavericks would cut the ECU lead in half in the bottom of the second as junior
Ashley Thell plated Mogren on a sacrifice fly.
Mariah Ewy gave the Tigers another two-run lead at 3-1 in the top of the fourth with an RBI-single, but in the bottom of the inning, Lattery and DesLauriers each notched an RBI-single of their own to knot up the score at 3-3.
Suydam and Reeves would each plate a run with an RBI-double in the top of the fifth to put ECU up 5-3, but MSU was able to get a run back in the bottom of the inning with an RBI-single from Thell.
The sixth inning saw the last runs scored in the game. ECU's Ewy was able to score on a passed ball, but the Mavericks were able to rally as they tallied three runs, including what turned out to be the game-winning two-run double by Mogren. Senior
Tatum Klein got the scoring going in the inning as she drove in freshman
Cori Kennedy with an RBI-triple.
Mogren and Thell led the MSU offense against the Tigers with two runs batted in each. Mogren also boasted two hits and two runs scored.
Ries earned the win in relief as she allowed one unearned run in 2.1 innings, while striking out three batters. Bemis allowed five runs in 4.2 innings of work, to go with four strikeouts. Crelia took the loss for ECU as she gave up seven runs, six earned, in six innings pitched.
The Mavericks continue action at the UAM 8-State Classic on Saturday as they take on Southern Arkansas at 11:00 a.m., and Southeastern Oklahoma State at 3:00 p.m.
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