Photo credit: photos.paap.net

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.  --- The #9 Minnesota State softball team blanked Minot State, 8-0, in its first game at the NSIC Softball Tournament at Bowden Field Thursday afternoon. 

The Mavericks (51-9) increase their win streak to 21 games and advances to play Minnesota Duluth tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. With the loss, Minot State falls to 24-21 overall on the season.

Senior pitcher Coley Ries (28-2) earns the win tossing eight strikeouts over 4.0 innings of work. Jenn Spencer (28-2) takes the loss throwing two strikeouts over 3.0 innings. 

Minnesota State jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead to open the game. Junior Jess Meidl was able to get across for the games first run before senior Samantha Buhmann drove in freshman Amber Kral with a single up the middle. 

The Mavericks doubled their edge in the second frame to make the score 4-0. Sophomore McKenzie Paap laid down a bunt to send senior Dana Mogren home. Meidl followed it up with a single to left field getting Paap across. Minot State threatened to score its first run of the contest in the top half of the third inning with a single through the left side. However, the Beavers then grounded out and Ries sat down the next two batters swinging. 

Minnesota State tacked on two more runs in the third as freshman Carly Esselman singled up the middle to score Kral, 5-0. Later in the stanza, sophomore Cori Kennedy connected on her ninth double of the season to drive in Esselman increasing the Mavericks lead to 6-0. 

MSU continued to swing a hot bat in the fourth inning as Buhmann singled to left center for an RBI , 7-0. In the next at bat, Esselman grounded out to second base allowing Thell to get a home to nail the lid shut on the game as the Mavericks went on win, 8-0, in five innings. 

Minnesota State recorded 11 hits in comparison to Minot State's two. Meidl posted a game-high three hits with one RBI while Buhmann notched two hits and two RBI. Paap also reached multiple hits with two rounding out the top performers.