MANKATO, Minn. – On a beautiful Friday afternoon in late March, Minnesota State softball (22-12, 6-2 NSIC) split its conference double header against Minot State (18-13, 6-2 NSIC) out at the MSU Softball Diamond.
 
In game one, senior third baseman Cheyenne Behrends scored the first run, drove in the second and wiped a Beaver scoring threat off the board with a nice play at third to catch a line out and tag the bag before the runner could make it back.
 
In game two, the Mavericks held a 3-0 lead until the top of the seventh, where Minot State scored four runs to swing momentum in the away team's favor. Maddie Helin crushed a home run over the fence in right field to send the game to extras, but the Beavers held the Mavericks scoreless and put one across in the 11^th to secure a 5-4 win. Senior starting pitcher Brianne Stone was excellent in Friday's second game, as she ended with 138 pitches in 10.1 innings. She struck out six, allowed just seven hits and one run.
 
Game 1 vs Minot State: W, MSU 5, MINOT 1
W: Maddie Oetzmann (5-3)      L: Reegan Floyd (9-4)
Minnesota State took game one, 5-1, against the Beavers. Relief pitcher Maddie Oetzmann earned her fifth win of 2025 after she entered in the third inning. She kept Minot State scoreless, allowing just three hits while striking out four.
 
After a three-up-three-down top of the first for the Maverick defense, Cheyenne Behrends reached second on a missed fly ball to right. The senior third baseman advanced to third on a fielder's choice, then scored on a passed ball to put Minnesota State up 1-0 through the first inning.
 
The Beavers put a pair of baserunners on in the top of the second with a single up the middle and another through the left side of the MSU infield. Abbey Kelley hit an RBI single to score the runner from second despite a great throw from Marina Carter from center field to tie the game up at 1-1. The next batter was hit by a pitch, which loaded up the bases, but a ground out to short ended the inning for the Minot State offense.
 
Freshman designated hitter Hannah Tong led off the bottom of the second with a double that landed on the warning track of the right field, but a strikeout and a double play on a line out to center ended the inning.  
 
Sara Van Wickler hit matched Tong's leadoff double with one of her own in the top of the third, and a single from the next Beaver hitter put runners on the corners with nobody out. A liner hit right to Behrends at third fit perfectly in the net of her glove; She tagged the baserunner at third for the second out of the play, then Maddie Oetzmann struck out the next batter to eliminate the scoring threat.
 
Carter reached on a leadoff bunt single in the bottom half of the inning and a bunt from freshman infielder Carly Kimmes moved her to second. Behrends hit Carter home with a blooper to left center that dropped to give the Mavericks the lead, 2-1.
 
A one-two-three inning for the MSU defense held the Beavers scoreless in the top of the fourth. Gianna Lara hit a line drive single all the way to the fence in left to leadoff the bottom frame, Ireland Broderick pinch ran for her, then a single advanced the runner to third. Sailor Hall hit her home on a deep sacrifice fly down the left field line to put the Mavericks up two. Helin, who hit the single, stole second to get in scoring position, then Carter singled over the head of the Beaver third baseman to score the runner from second to give the home team a 4-1 lead through four.
 
Minnesota State held Minot State scoreless in the top of the fifth. Kimmes got her first hit of the day to leadoff the fifth for the Mavericks, then she moved to second on a textbook bunt right in front of home plate by Behrends. Izzy Hycnar drew a walk and an error from the MISU third baseman loaded the bases with two gone. An RBI single from freshman Hannah Tong pushed the Maverick lead to four, but the Beavers were able to relay the ball home to prevent a second run from scoring. MSU led 5-1 after five innings of play in game one.
 
A great play at short from Hycnar kept Minot State scoreless in the top of the sixth, then Helin smacked a single right in front of the Beaver center fielder to lead off the bottom half of the inning, but she was caught off the bag on a line out to third.
 
A leadoff double and a walk put two on with nobody out for the Beavers in the top of the seventh. An infield fly and a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up a bag gave the Maverick defense two outs, then a fly out to left field ended the game. Minnesota State won game one 5-1.
 
Behrends, Tong, Helin and Carter all ended the game with two hits, and all but Helin ended game one with an RBI. Hall had the other run batted in on her sacrifice fly.
 
Game 2 vs Minot State: L, MINOT 5, MSU 4 (11 Innings)
W: Jasmine Blizzard (7-5)          L: Brianne Stone (6-4)         S: Calley Olson (4)
Behrends flashed the glove again in the top of the first inning of game two, with a diving catch to wipe a hit off the base pads for the first out of the game. In the bottom of the inning, Kimmes drew a leadoff walk and Behrends hit a single through the left side to put two on with no outs. Hycnar slapped a first pitch double down the line in right to score Kimmes from second to put the Mavericks on the board. With runners on the corners, a 4-3 double play secured two outs but allowed a second run to cross, which put MSU up 2-0.
 
Minot State had a batter hit a short single to left just out of reach of the defense and the following hitter gave the ball a sharp ride but it was hit right to Carter in center.  The Beavers held the Mavericks scoreless in the bottom of the second and put the leadoff batter on in the top of three. A pair of fielder's choices and a Stone strikeout retired the Minot State order.
 
Carter turned a routine hit to left into a double to lead off in the bottom of the third and a well-hit ball from Kimmes through the right side scored her from second to give the Mavericks a 3-0 lead. The freshman second baseman advanced to second on the throw home, but she was thrown out trying to steal third. A couple of put outs by the Beaver defense ended the third inning as MSU held a four-run lead headed to the fourth.
 
Taylor Smith hit a one-out single to shallow center in the fourth. A fielder's choice and a throwing error replaced her on the bags and moved the runner to second with two down, but Stone struck out the last out of the inning to send the game to the bottom frame.
 
Lara reached on a single up the middle, but she couldn't move past first before the Beavers picked up the third out of the inning to send the game to the fifth. MSU held Minot State scoreless again in the top of five, then in the bottom half of the inning, Kimmes drew a two-out walk after she was down in the count 0-2, but a fly out ended the inning.
 
MISU threatened in the top of the sixth with a two-out double hit to the corner in left, but the next batter hit the ball directly to Hall in the outfield for the third out of the inning.
 
After a scoreless bottom of the sixth, Chloe Brandt came in to earn the save in the top of the seventh in the pitcher's circle for MSU. She got an out on her first pitch, a grounder to Hycnar, then walked the next batter. A single up the middle put a second base runner on, then, after a fielder's choice, another single loaded the bases with two outs. Minot State's leadoff hitter Micaela Resler singled off Brandt's glove to score one for the Beavers, then a double from Lexie Nelson cleared the bases to give Minot State a late 4-3 lead.
 
Helin crushed the first pitch she saw in the bottom of the seventh inning over the right field fence to tie the game up at 4-4 with no outs. Carter singled to shortstop and advanced to second on an errant throw to get into scoring position, then a flyout moved her to third, but a strikeout ended the inning, sending game two to extras.
 
Stone, who reentered the circle in the seventh, eliminated a Beaver baserunner in the eighth with her fourth K of the game. In the bottom of the inning, Lara hit a one-out single to put the winning run on base, but a double play ended the frame.
 
A duo of ground outs to Behrends at third and a fly out to center held Minot State scoreless in the top of the ninth, then Carter slapped an opposite field single to left to reach base with two outs in Maverick half of the inning. Beaver pitcher Jasmine Blizzard struck out her seventh opponent to send the game to the 10^th inning.
 
MISU hit two solid balls to left, but Hall made a couple of nice catches to negate any chance to score for the team in red. Hycnar reached on an error with one out in the bottom frame, then Lara singled past the outstretched glove of the Beaver shortstop. Tong singled up the middle, but Minot State's center fielder, Abby Lohse, made a great throw from the outfield to tag out Hycnar attempting to score.
 
The game moved to the top of 11^th, where the Beavers drew a leadoff walk, a passed ball afforded the pinch runner a free base, an infield single put two on, then Stone mishandled a bunt which loaded the bases with nobody out. Her fifth strikeout of the game earned the first out of the 11^th, but an infield single scored a run which gave the Beavers a 5-4 lead. A pop fly and another K ended the inning, but the damage had already been done.
 
A fly out and a swinging miss strike three limited the Mavericks to their final out and a ground out confirmed the 5-4 win for the Beavers in 11 innings.
 
Lara and Carter each had three hits in game two. Kimes, Hycnar and Helin each had a base knock and an RBI. Mellum finished the game with one RBI.
 
"We can't let a team have a big inning," reflected MSU head coach Lori Meyer following game two's loss, "and we gave them a big inning when we were in control. Tomorrow, I need our pitching to take a step up, be smart and take momentum."
 
Minnesota State returns to action tomorrow afternoon with another double header against UMary (9-24, 2-6 NSIC). The Mavericks take on the Marauders at noon and 2:00 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, March 28 in the Maverick All-Sports Dome in Mankato.