Photo Credit: photos.paap.net

MANKATO, Minn. --- Senior pitcher Coley Ries threw her second straight perfect game as the Minnesota State softball team swept MSU Moorhead, 7-0, and, 7-3, to extend their win streak to 14 games Sunday afternoon at the MSU Softball Diamond.  

With the win, Minnesota State moves to 44-6 overall and 22-2 NSIC on the season. MSU Moorhead drops to 8-33 overall and 3-21 in NSIC play. 

In game one, the Mavericks blanked the Dragons, 7-0. Ries (23-2) tossed 18 strikeouts over 7.0 innings on the way to her second straight perfect game. She is the first player in program history to throw two perfect games and has thrown five career no-hitters. Additionally, Ries has thrown a career-best 46.1 scoreless innings passing her prior mark of 45.1 which was set last season. Jordan Hall (1-15) takes the loss after throwing one strikeout over 6.0 innings. 

The Mavericks got the scoring started in the bottom of the first with an RBI double off the bat of junior Jess Meidl scoring sophomore McKenzie Paap, 1-0. Senior Ashley Thell then followed up with an RBI single to center field sending Meidl across to increase the lead to 2-0. 

Minnesota State got back on the board in the bottom of the second inning as freshman Carly Esselman came across to score the third Maverick run, 3-0, after sophomore Cori Kennedy reached base on an error. Later in the inning, Thell scorched a three run RBI double sending Kennedy and Meidl home, 5-0. 

The Mavericks added another run in the bottom of the fourth inning after a freshman Amber Kral sacrifice fly scoring Paap to stretch the edge to 6-0. Kral once again used a sacrifice fly of in the bottom of the sixth sending Paap home and putting the putting the game out of reach, 7-0 .

Minnesota State tallied seven hits as Thell recorded two hits and three RBI. Paap added three runs while also notching two stolen bases. 

In game two, the Mavericks topped the Dragons, 7-3. Junior Libby Bemis (21-4) tossed two strikeouts over six innings and held MSU Moorhead hitless for the games first four innings. Becky Volkert (3-9) picks up the loss with no strikeouts in .1 innings pitched. 

The Mavericks started off the scoring in the bottom of the first inning with a Thell RBI single scoring Paap, 1-0. Kral then added a single to right field to get Thell across, 2-0. Later in the inning, Esselman hit a four run RBI blast over the right field wall for a grand slam and her second home run of the season, 6-0. Kennedy got into the action in the next at bat with her fifth home run of the season to left field to stretch the advantage to 7-0. 

The Dragons scored their first run of the day in the top of the fifth inning with a double to left field from Jill Fox scoring Taylor Kelenic, 7-1. Later in the inning, Carly Williamson singled to left field adding another run for the Dragons to make the score 7-2. MSU Moorhead added one more run in the top of the sixth as Kylee Bartholomay came home to score, 7-3. 

The Mavericks posted 13 hits with senior Samantha Buhmann, Meidl, Esselman, and Kennedy each posting two.

Minnesota State returns to action when its travels to Upper Iowa on Wednesday. The doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m.