MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State softball team finished its regular season schedule with a pair of wins Sunday afternoon as the Mavericks defeated the University of Mary by the scores of 8-0 in five innings and 6-0.

With the wins, MSU now owns a 31-17 record, including a 20-10 NSIC record. With the losses, UMary finishes its season with a 7-40 record, including a 2-26 conference record.

Game 1 Recap

Minnesota State began the day with an 8-0 win in five innings.
 
Junior McKayla Armbruster (20-8) picked up the win as she allowed just three hits, while striking out 10, in the complete game shutout. Nicole Eckhardt (4-13) took the loss as she gave up five runs, three earned, in 2.2 innings.
 
The bottom of the second saw the Mavericks score five runs on three hits. Four different Mavericks, including junior Courtney Baxter, junior Sydney Nelson, sophomore Marina Carter and junior Ellie Tallman each drove in a run, before Nelson stole home on a double steal.
 
The Mavericks added one run in both the third and fourth innings to go up 7-0. The Mavericks then loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth for freshman Gianna Lara who drove in the winning run with a single to right center to give the Mavericks the 8-0 win in five innings.
 
Lara finished with three hits, while Carter drove in two runs.
 
Game 2 Recap

The Mavericks finished the day with a 6-0 win over the Marauders in game two.

Armbruster (21-8) earned the win as she threw five scoreless innings while striking out nine. Junior Kacy Nickerson and sophomore Brianne Stone each threw an inning in relief to complete the shutout. Jamison Ness (0-5) took the loss as she allowed three runs in 1.1 innings.

The Mavericks opened the scoring in the bottom of the second as they scored three runs on three hits. Senior Sydney Nielsen notched an RBI-single, before Tallman drove in the second run with a bases loaded walk. A groundout from freshman Ava Smithson drove in the final run before the Marauders could get out of the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, Nelson got on base with a double down the left field line and then moved to third on a single from Carter. Carter then stole second, which allowed Nelson to steal home on the throwing attempt at second.

MSU added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to go up 6-0. Lara led off the inning with a double to right center. Then with one out, Nielsen blasted a two-run home run to center field to increase MSU's lead to six.

Nickerson and Stone would combine to strand three Marauders on base in the final two innings as they helped preserve the 6-0 shutout for the Mavericks.

Minnesota State continues its season on Wednesday as it takes part in day one of the NSIC Championships in Rochester, Minn. MSU's opponent and start time are to be determined.