MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State softball team split its two games Saturday as it defeated Washburn 3-1, before falling to Missouri Western 8-5.
MSU now owns a 2-1 record on the season.
Game 1 Recap
Minnesota State started the day with a 3-1 win over the Washburn Ichabods. Sophomore
Katie Bracken (1-0) picked up the win in the complete game effort. Bracken allowed one unearned run and eight hits. Raegen Hamm (1-1) was saddled with the loss after allowing three runs and two hits in 4.2 innings pitched. Ashlie Thissen threw 1.1 innings in relief of Hamm.
The offense proved elusive in the first four innings as both teams combined to leave five runners on the base paths. In the bottom of the fifth the Mavericks broke the scoreless deadlock to take a 3-0 lead. Bracken was hit by a pitch and freshman
Cheyenne Behrends reached on a single, before sophomore
Madi Newman blasted a three-run home run over the center field fence.
The Ichabods managed to load the bases in the top of the sixth, before Rylee Seymour plated a runner with an RBI-single. Bracken was able to keep WU in check as she forced a ground out to leave the bases full.
WU managed to get a base runner on to open the seventh, but three ground outs ended the game in favor of the Mavericks at 3-1.
Game 2 Recap
Missouri Western picked up the win in MSU's second game of the day as the Griffons bested the Mavericks 8-5. Senior
Mackenzie Ward took the loss (1-1) as she allowed seven runs, one earned, in five innings of work. Natalie Kissinger (1-1) picked up the win as she allowed one run in five innings of relief.
MWSU struck first in the bottom of the first as Sydney Hawkins drove in a run with a single up the middle to put the Griffons up 1-0. In the bottom of the first, a pair of RBI-doubles from sophomore
Kylie Sullivan and senior
Hailey Forshee gave MSU a 2-1 lead. MSU would add two more runs in the second to go up 4-1 as sophomore
Courtney Baxter homered to left and senior
Torey Richards drove in a run with another RBI-double.
The Griffons added two runs in the third to cut MSU's lead to 4-3, but Sullivan responded with a solo home run to left center in the bottom of the third to put MSU up 5-3.
MWSU would take the lead for good in the fifth as it scored four runs off of three hits and one MSU error. Sierra Culver provided the big hit for the Griffons as her RBI-double drove in three runs to put the Griffons up 7-5.
The Griffons would add one more run in the top of the sixth as Sydney Dawkins drove in MWSU's eight run of the game with an RBI-double. MSU managed just two base runners in the final two innings as the Griffons held on to the 8-5 win.
Minnesota State wraps up the Portolite and Field Turf MSU Invitational Softball Tournament on Sunday as it takes on Washburn at 9:00 a.m., and Lewis at 2:00 p.m.
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