St. Joseph, Mo. --- The Minnesota State softball team won two games on the final day of the Hy-Vee Softball Classic in St. Joseph, Mo., a 2-1 win over #9 ranked Rogers State and a 7-0 win over Northwest Missouri State.

With the wins, the Mavericks improve to 11-2 on the season while the Hillcats drop to 12-6 and the Bearcats fall to 6-6.

Game 1

Mackenzie Ward (6-2) started the game for the Mavericks and earned the win pitching a complete game seven innings while striking out 12 and allowing only a single run on three hits. Andrea Morales (6-4) started for the Hillcats and took the loss allowing two runs on six hits.

Both teams kept the scoreboard clean until the fourth inning when Sydney Nielsen crushed a deep solo homerun to left field to leadoff the top of the inning.

The Mavericks followed up the run in the fourth when Kylie Sullivan had a hard-hit single into centerfield that allowed pinch runner Ellie Tallman score from first base and give Minnesota State a 2-0 lead. The Hillcats were able to respond with a run in the bottom of the fifth but were not able to get any other runners home as the Mavericks held on for the 2-1 win over the #9 ranked team.

Nielsen finished the game 2-3 from the plate with a single to go along with her homer and Sullivan finished 1-2 with an RBI.

Game 2

McKayla Armbruster (5-0) started for Minnesota State and earned the win after she pitched a complete game shutout allowing six hits and striking out four batters. Breck Dickey (1-4) started for the Bearcats and took the loss and pitched two and two thirds innings allowing 11 hits and six earned runs before being relieved.

The Mavericks put together a string of hits in the bottom of the first and Hannah McCarville doubled in Torey Richards and Nielsen to put the team up 2-0 before Hailey Forshee was able to bring McCarville home on a single to centerfield.

In the third inning, Minnesota State once again began to put several hits together and after a couple of singles Hannah Hastings put a single into right center field to bring Madi Newman and McCarville home before Carly Esselman hit Sydney Nelson home, putting Minnesota State up 6-0.

The Mavericks put the last run on the board when Forshee brought Richards home on a hard hit single up the middle.

McCarville finished the game 3-3 with two RBI and two runs scored and Richards finished 3-4 with a pair of runs scored. Forshee and Hastings each went 2-3 from the plate with a pair of RBI in the game.

The Mavericks open NSIC play Tuesday March 30, with a double header on the road against Concordia-St. Paul with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m.