WAYNE, Neb. - The Northern State softball team (2-19, 0-3 NSIC) had a good day of play at the NSIC crossover event held in Wayne, Neb. on Saturday.  The squad went 0-3 in play, but held their own in their first NSIC contests of the season.  The Wolves dropped a tight 0-2 decision to #9 ranked Southwest Minnesota State (16-6, 1-0 NSIC) and went through a grueling 11-inning 4-5 loss to Upper Iowa (6-16, 3-0 NSIC).  They took the field for one final game, giving up a 0-4 decision to Winona State (19-8, 5-0 NSIC).  They will play two games tomorrow.


NSU vs. Southwest Minnesota State BOX SCORE

NSU vs. SMSU

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	-	R	H	E
Northern State	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	0	4	0
#9 SW Minnesota St.	1	0	0	1	0	0	x	-	2	5	1

The Wolves played one of their best defensive games of the season against one of the best teams in the league, #9 ranked Southwest Minnesota State.  The game was the NSIC opener in a weekend that will give the Wolves five conference matchups at the crossover played in Wayne, Neb.  Northern pitcher Breanna Milnes, a junior transfer student, pitched a complete game and held the Mustangs to just five hits.  The NSU defense did not commit an error and helped to keep SMSU off the running paths.

Southwest Minnesota State started the game with a first inning run, knocking a double into right center to score their lead-off runner, who was hit by a pitch.  Following the one-run first, Milnes shut down SMSU, retiring batters in order in the second and third innings.  The Mustangs got on the board only one more time, using a sacrifice fly to score Erin Dickhausen, who had a bunt single to lead off the fourth inning.

The Wolves offense came up with four hits against a tough SMSU pitcher (Johnson).  They had four players reach second base in the game, but could not come up with a run-scoring hit at key moments.  Heather Olson had a good game at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a seventh inning double.  Designated player Veronica Kelly also went 2-for-3 with a set of singles.  SMSU's Johnson fanned five NSU batters and improved to 12-2 on the year with the win from the rubber.

Milnes notched two strikeouts and did not walk a batter all game.  She gave up just one extra base hit.


NSU vs. Upper Iowa BOX SCORE

NSU vs. Upper Iowa

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	-	R	H	E
Northern State	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	1	0	0	-	4	11	4
Upper Iowa	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	-	5	11	3

The Wolves played a marathon 11-inning game against Upper Iowa, tying the score in the seventh inning to push the game into extra frames.  The Peacocks got on the board with three runs in the first two innings before being shut down until the ninth inning.  Christi Schulte pitched the entire game, giving up just three earned runs.  She faced only two more than the minimum number of batters from the third through eighth innings.

The Wolves used a Peacock error and two hits to tie the game in what would have been their last at-bat.  Milnes earned the RBI on the first run, and an Olson single drove in the game-tying runs.  The Wolves gained the lead in the ninth inning, starting the frame off with two singles and the go-ahead run coming from a Peacock error, the RBI going again to Olson.  Upper Iowa answered with an unearned run in the bottom of the inning and took advantage of a Northern error for the 5-4 win in the eleventh.

Northern matched Upper Iowa with 11 runs in the game, but committed 4 errors to UIU's 3.  Three NSU players had multiple hits, but Olson won the RBI race, driving in three of the team's four runs.  The Wolves made good contact with the ball and were only fanned four times.  Schulte sent 12 batters back to the bench with strikeouts.


NSU vs. Winona State BOX SCORE

NSU vs. WSU

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	-	R	H	E
Northern State	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	0	0	3
SW Minnesota St.	0	0	0	3	1	0	x	-	4	8	1

The Wolves had to muster up the energy to take on a tough Winona State team following their nearly 3 hour battle with Upper Iowa.  The Wolves gave up just two hits through the first three innings and went into a scoreless fourth inning.  Bats began to wake up for the Warriors in the fourth, as they rattled off five consecutive hits, including a two-run homer, to go up 3-0.  They tagged on another run in the fifth from a triple and sacrifice bunt and took a 4-0 win.  WSU pitcher Struzynski pitched a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts.

Sam Francis completed 3.2 innings and took the loss.  Milnes came in for 2.1 innings of relief, giving up an earned run and striking out four batters.