Photo credit: photos.paap.net

MINOT, N.D. --- The #10 Minnesota State softball team swept Minot State, 10-0, and, 11-5, to clinch the NSIC regular season title for the second straight season Sunday  afternoon. 

Minnesota State (50-6, 28-2 NSIC) earns its 50th win of the season and extends its win streak to 20 games. The last time MSU won 50 games in a season was in 2011 when the Mavericks advanced to the NCAA Championships. With the loss, Minot State drops to 23-20 overall and 15-15 NSIC on the season. 

In game one, Minnesota State dismantled Minot State, 10-0. Senior pitcher Coley Ries (26-2) set the standard with 12 strikeouts over 6.0 innings of work. Clarissa Ramirez (8-8) pitched a complete game in the loss with one strikeout. 

Neither team was able to get anything going offensively in the game's opening two innings. Minnesota State broke the standstill in the third stanza as senior Ashley Thell singled to center field to score junior Jess Meidl, 1-0. 

The scoring resumed in the fifth inning as the Mavericks exploded for five runs to increase their lead to 6-0. The inning was highlighted by senior Samantha Buhmann's two run home run. It was her fourth home run of the season. 

Following a freshman Caitlin Stone score in the sixth stanza, Minnesota State added two more runs in the seventh inning. Senior Dana Mogren put the game out of reach with her second home run of the season on a two run blast to left field to make the score 10-0. 

Minnesota State posted 15 hits while Minot State totaled four. Thell recorded a game-high four hits with two runs and two RBI. 

In game two, the Mavericks rallied from a 5-3 deficit to down the Beavers, 11-5. Ries (27-2) appeared in the third inning and pitched a game-high seven strikeouts to earn the win. Jenn Spencer (13-12) threw six strikeouts over 6.2 innings in the loss.
 
Both teams traded runs for the first five innings to lock the game at 3-3. Minot State then jumped out to a two run edge, 5-3, after scoring on an RBI triple and wild pitch. 

Minnesota State responded with an eight run seventh inning to capture the lead. The Mavericks locked the game at 5-5 after junior Alyssa Rickels was able to get across following a Meidl single to left field. Minnesota State captured its first lead of the game as Meidl advanced to third and sophomore McKenzie Paap scored on a wild pitch, 6-5. 

Freshman Amber Kral cracked the game open with her two run triple to right field to make the score 8-5.  Minnesota State continued to ride momentum and added three more runs from Kral, Mogren and freshman Carly Esselman to put the game out reach. Ries closed out the Beavers in the bottom half with three strikeouts to secure the 11-5 come from behind win. 

The Mavericks totaled 10 hits as a team with Paap (2), Meidl (2) and Esselman (2) each posting multiple hits. 

Minnesota State will return to action at the NSIC Tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Thursday. The Mavericks will face either Minot State, Northern State or Southwest Minnesota State at Bowden Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.