MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota State softball team fell to Concordia-St. Paul 4-1 and Minnesota Duluth 9-5 Saturday afternoon at the Maverick All-Sports Dome.

MSU now owns a 2-2 record on the season and will return to action on Feb. 21 as it travels to Topeka, Kan., to take part in the Washburn Invite.
 
Game 1 vs Concordia-St. Paul: CSP 4, MSU 1

W: Dunlavy (1-1)             L: Stone (0-1                      S: None

Sydney Pelzer hit a two-out double to the wall in left field for the first hit of the game and a few pitches later, Abi Carter hit her home with a single to right field to put Concordia-St. Paul up 1-0 after the top half of the first.

Two innings later, the Golden Bears put another run on the board with two outs. Pelzer hit another double to left center to score the runner from first, which put CSP up 2-0.

Freshman behind the plate Ryanne Mellum hit a ground-rule double to lead off the bottom of the third for Minnesota State. She advanced to third on a nice bunt laid down by Marina Carter, but the Mavericks couldn't bring her across.

Concordia-St. Paul put two runners on base with one out and they pulled off a double-steal to put both in scoring position, but Chloe Brandt and the Mavericks were able to get out of the top of the fourth unscathed.

The Golden Bears put another two baserunners on with one out in the top of the fifth. The runner on second got caught in a pickle, which allowed the Maverick defense to get the tag for the second out of the inning and Carter caught a deep fly ball to center field to end that half of the inning.

Mellum drew a two-out walk and Carter got a base hit in the left center gap to put two on with two out in the bottom of the fifth. Maddie Helin brought it to a full count and hit the ball to deep right field, but the Golden Bear defender got under it to end the inning.

Rachel Novak for CSP reached on an infield single then stole second to put a runner in scoring position with no outs. After a foul out, an error and a hit by pitch loaded the bases with one out. An RBI single from Ashlyn Peterson put the Golden Bears up three and Alexis Monty hit a sacrifice fly to make it a 4-0 game.

In the bottom of the seventh, Sailor Hall got her first hit in a Maverick uniform and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Mellum drew a walk to put two on with one out and the runners advanced to second and third on another wild pitch. Hall scored from third on a fielder's choice that allowed Carter to get to first. Helin grounded out to the pitcher to end the game, 4-1.

Gianna Lara ended the game with two hits, as did Carter. Carter had the only RBI of the game for MSU. Hall and Mellum had the other two hits for the Mavericks against CSP.

Brianne Stone pitched the first three innings and gave up two runs on four hits. Brandt came in and allowed two more runs on six hits before freshman Hannah Tong came in and threw 1.2 innings of scoreless softball.
 

Game 2 vs Minnesota Duluth: UMD 9, MSU 5

W: Luoma (3-0)                 L: Tong (0-1)                       S: None

The Bulldogs were able to get on the board early on in the first inning. After junior Sailor Hall set the first two batters down, Lauren Jenkins singled up the middle, before Nicole Schmitt blasted a two-run homer over the right field fence to put UMD up 2-0.
UMD held its 2-0 lead into the third, but with one out senior Cheyenne Behrends singled to left field, before coming around to score on a double by junior Gianna Lara. Lara, who moved up to third, was then driven in by a single from Sailor to tie the game at 2-2.

With the game tied 2-2, freshman Carly Kimmes notched a double to right center to open the bottom of the fourth. Kimmes then moved up to third on a bunt single by sophomore Maddie Helin. Sophomore Izzy Hycnar then stepped in and laid down the squeeze play bunt that scored Kimmes. The Mavericks added two more runs in the inning, one off a throwing error and another via a sacrifice fly from Behrends to increase MSU's lead to 5-2.

In the top of the fifth, the Bulldogs responded quickly as they scored seven runs, on six hits to go back up 9-5. Two of UMD's big hits came via Schmitt and Billi Connell who each recorded a two-run home runs. UMD also saw Khendal Johnson drive in two with a double and Lauren Jenkins drive in one with a sacrifice fly.

In the final three innings against Allison Luoma, the Mavericks recorded just one hit as UMD came away with the 9-5 win.

Luoma (3-0) got the win in relief as she allowed no runs and one hit in 3.1 innings. Freshman Hannah Tong (0-1) took the loss as she gave up three runs on two hits. Hall threw 6.0 innings for the Mavericks, allowing three runs, while striking out five.

Helin notched two of MSU's seven hits. Five different Mavericks scored a run and four different Mavericks drove in a run.