Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box

ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Northern State University Wolves got off to a hot start on a cool day and used a pair of big innings to cruise to a 12-4 five-inning victory over St. Cloud State in the first game of Friday's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader.  The Huskies, however, answered with a hot start of their own in Game 2, taking a 4-1 victory to avoid a winless weekend on the road.

With the split, NSU's second straight, the Wolves move to 8-18 overall and 2-6 in conference action.  The Huskies avoided going winless in their weekend road swing through U-Mary and Northern State, and will return home with a 17-14 overall mark and a 2-4 record in the league.

The Wolves jumped all over the bats to open things up in the first inning.  Junior Brooke Norris led off with a single and moved up on a Kesley Robling sacrifice bunt.  Brittany Huback singled home Norris to put a quick run on the board for the Wolves.  

A fly-out later, the Wolves drew a walk and an RBI single from freshman Lindsey Hubler before senior Kelley Suggs doubled home two more runs and the Wolves were off to the races.

SCSU got back three of those runs in the top of the third on three straight hits – the last of which was a two-run home run by junior Chris Saiz.  The Wolves would have nothing to do with a Huskies rally, responding with a six-run bottom half of the inning.  The first six batters in that stanza all reached base safely, five on base hits and one hit by a pitch.

Huskies' starter Alyssa Roberts finally caught Sarah L'Allier looking for the first out of the inning, but was lifted in favor of reliever Jackie Manrique.  Manrique came on to get Norris on an RBI ground out, but gave up another RBI hit to Robling that gave the Wolves a big 10-3 advantage.

The Wolves picked up an unearned run in the fourth inning when Suggs scored from second on a L'Allier single up the middle.  That run came after a Husky fielding error that kept the inning alive and put the Wolves in a position to end the game early with a scoreless fifth.

SCSU, however, ensured a fifth Northern State at bat after cutting the Wolves' lead to seven in the top of the fifth inning.  The Huskies ran themselves out of a second run, however, when Maggie Dunsmoor was cut down at third trying to advance on an outfield throw to the plate.

Robling, however, ended the game in the bottom of the inning, however, after leading off with a double and moving to third two batters later on a Natasha Neu ground out.  The sophomore scored the winning run on Whitney Luhring's ensuing at bat when the ball squirted away from the SCSU catcher.

Suggs earned her fifth win of the season with a complete-game performance.  The senior allowed four runs on ten hits and a pair of walks, but helped her own case at the plate, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored.

Luhring also reached safely in all three of her official plate appearances, drawing a first inning walk and singling in her next two at bats.  Hubler and Huback also picked up two hits apiece and scored twice for the Wolves.

Roberts took the loss for SCSU, giving up ten runs on nine hits and a walk.

The Huskies responded in Game 2, scoring all four of their runs before recording an out in the opening stanza.  Kelly Olson led off with a double, Jackie Dooley followed with a single and Mikayla Hogan doubled both of them home for a quick Husky lead.  Jordyn Hubin then rapped out a 2-run home run to left field to make it a 4-0 game.

NSU starter Kelli Bornander then worked around two more singles before getting out of the inning, but not before going all the way through the SCSU batting order.  Bornander settled in to pitch three full innings, but took a line drive shot off her shin in the second inning and left after giving up back-to-back singles to start the fourth.

Reliever Stephanie Horkey came on and did not give up a run the rest of the way, racking up four strikeouts in her four innings of work.

The Wolves got one run back in the bottom of the first after South drew a one-out walk and moved around on singles from Robling and Luhring.  That would be as much as Husky starter Saiz would allow, as the junior earned her seventh victory of the season with her complete-game six-hit performance.

Bornander took the loss for the Wolves, falling to 0-7 on the year.

The Wolves remain at home to face the University of Mary on Tuesday in another NSIC doubleheader.  First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. at Moccasin Creek Complex.