Photo credit: photos.paap.net

CLERMONT, Fla. ---- The No. 1 Minnesota State softball team swept the opening day of the NTC Spring Games with wins over Urbana, 3-1, and Hillsdale, 7-3, to move to 11-0 Saturday afternoon.

In game one, Minnesota State edged Urbana (0-5), 3-1. Freshman Lexi Schoper (1-0) earned her first career win for the Mavericks pitching the final three innings with two strikeouts. Sophomore Caitlin Stone got the start for Minnesota State and totaled career-best six strikeouts in 4.0 innings. Freshman Kayleigh Pate (0-1) takes the loss for the Blue Knights tossing four strikeouts.

Minnesota State jumped out to the early 1-0 lead after sophomore Carly Esselman grounded out for an RBI allowing junior McKenzie Paap to score in the opening frame. The game then went scoreless for three innings until Blue Knights locked the game, 1-1, with a sacrifice fly RBI in the fifth inning. The Mavericks regained the lead, 2-1, in the sixth frame after sophomoreAmber Kral flied out to get senior Jessica Meidl home. Minnesota State tacked on an insurance run later in the frame following a RBI double from junior Cori Kennedy to seal the 3-1 win.

Esselman and Kennedy each contributed one hit and one RBI to lead the Mavericks. Minnesota State totaled four hits as a team in comparison to Urbana's six.  

In game two, Minnesota State used a six-run sixth inning to surge past Hillsdale (0-2), 7-3. Freshman Mackenzie Ward  tossed a team-best two strikeouts in four innings of action. Sophomore Bria Majeski (3-0) closed the game for the Mavericks in three innings of work. Freshman Erin Hunt (0-1) takes the loss for the Chargers with five strikeouts in 5.2 innings.

Hillsdale controlled the first two innings of play jumping out to a 2-0 advantage with scores from junior Katie Kish and junior Jessica Taylor. Minnesota State got on the scoreboard in the fifth frame after freshman Courtney Potter scored an unearned run to make the score 2-1. The Chargers retaliated with their third run of the game to stretch the advantage to 3-1 after five innings.

Kral responded for Minnesota State in the sixth inning launching her team-leading second home run of the season to left center cutting the deficit to one, 3-2. Sophomore Kennedy Rieck followed it up with a RBI single to lock the game, 3-3. The Mavericks continued to swing a hot bat claiming their first lead of contest as Meidl notched a two RBI single to make the score 5-3. Minnesota State added two insurance runs from Meidl and Paap to secure the come from behind 7-3 win.

Meidl tallied one run to pass Lindsay Erickson (2011-14) to become the MSU all-time leader in career runs scored with 157. She also added two RBI and one hit to her stat line against the Chargers. Paap, Esselman, and Rieck paced Minnesota State with three hits each. As a team, the Mavericks held the edge in hits, 14-8.

Minnesota State returns to action at the NTC Spring Games tomorrow against Grand Valley State at 8:00 a.m., before finishing the day against Notre Dame College at 1:00 p.m.