St. Joseph, Mo. --- The Minnesota State softball team split its two games on Saturday afternoon at the Apple Market Classic in St. Joseph, Mo. The Mavericks began the day with a 6-0 win over Emporia State before being shutout by Central Missouri in the second game, 3-0.

With the split of games on Saturday, the Mavericks overall record sits at 16-6.

The Mavericks got some revenge on Emporia State in game one as they fell to the Lady Hornets earlier this season 4-3 at the Kelly Laas NSIC/MIAA Crossover in St. Cloud, Minn. In Saturday's 6-0 win, MSU's offense notched 13 hits, three walks and three stolen bases, while junior pitcher Coley Ries [10-3] continued her dominance. 

Ries earned her 10th victory of the season and her third straight shutout performance for the Mavericks as she threw another complete game with 14 strikeouts, while allowing just four hits. With the shutout, the Mankato East product extends her impressive scoreless innings streak to 36.1.

After allowing just one runner on base through the first three innings the Lady Hornets made Ries work out of a couple of jams in the last couple of innings. In the bottom of the fourth ESU had runners on third and second with two outs and Ries shut the door on the scoring opportunity as she struck out the Lady Hornets next batter on a 2-2 count. Then in the sixth inning ESU the bases loaded with two outs but again Ries dug deep and struck of the Lady Hornets next batter to end the inning.

ESU's Holly Hinkel [3-5] suffered the loss as she threw six innings of work and allowed five earned runs, 12 hits and three walks.

The Mavericks scored their first run right away in the top of the first when senior Tatum Klein crossed plate after a passed ball from ESU. MSU pushed across one more run in the top of the second inning when sophomore Kara Lattery belted her first home run of the season as she hit a solo shot on a 2-0 count to right center.

The scoring continued for the Mavericks in the third as they pushed across two more runs. Junior Dana Mogren and sophomore Jess Meidl reached base safely to begin the inning for MSU and Lattery recorded her second RBI of the game when she singled home Mogren from third. Meidl scored the second run of the inning in the next at-bat as sophomore Kelly Grove struck a RBI single to left field.

MSU scored its last two runs of the game in the top of the sixth. Senior Emily Bransky began the sixth with a lead-off triple to right field and would eventually score when the Mavericks next batter, senior Karli DesLauriers, hit a RBI single through the right side to bring Bransky home. Later in the top of half of the inning DesLauriers scored MSU's sixth run of the game when Mogren tallied a RBI single through the left side.

Lattery paced the Mavericks offense in the game as she went 3-of-3 from the plate including a home run and also added two RBI and one walk. DesLauriers also went 3-of-3, while Meidl posted two hits, two stolen bases, one run scored and one walk.

In the second game of the day against Central Missouri it was a different story for the Mavericks as they were held to just four hits and left nine runners on base. The Jennies pitcher, Allison Tonyan [3-4], earned the win for them as she threw all seven innings and struck out three batters. Sophomore pitcher Libby Bemis took the loss for MSU as she pitched six innings of work and struckout four batters, while allowing two earned runs, eight hits and three walks. Coley Ries came in relief for Bemis in the top of the seventh to close out the game. 

UCM recorded its first run of the game in the top of the third when Makayla Schoonover scored from second via an error from MSU.  In the next inning the Jennies doubled their score to 2-0 when Allie Dishinger homered to left field. UCM scored its final run of the game in the top of the sixth when Brittany Kendall scored from third on a wild pitch from the Mavericks.

All game the Mavericks had opportunities to put runs on the board as they had runners on base every inning but was never able to capitalize. A couple of occurrences in the second and fourth innings the Mavericks left two runners on base.

Freshman McKenzie Paap tallied two of the Maverick hits in the loss, both of which were doubles.

MSU will have its final day of competition at the Apple Market Classic on Sunday. The Mavericks are set to take on Central Oklahoma and #19 Northwest Missouri State. MSU will take on UCO at 11:00 a.m. and NWSU at 3:00 p.m.