Aberdeen, S.D. – The Northern State University softball team recorded their first sweep of the season since early March, with two wins over Bemidji State. The 4-2 and 7-1 victories moved Northern to 11-25 overall on the year and 4-16 in the Northern Sun. In the two game the Wolves pounded out 16 hits and 11 runs.
Game One Northern scored first in the bottom of the third inning, led off by
Ashley Clapp with a single to left.
Courtney Moore then stepped to the plate and connected for a double to left field scoring Clapp on the play. With Moore in scoring position,
Kelsey Gale notched a bunt single and an RBI as Moore scored on the play. The Wolves tallied their final run of the inning off the bat of
Eryn Yancy, with a single up the middle scoring Gale.
Bemidji State answered back with two runs in the top of the fourth, however the Northern defense and starter
Kami Smesmo held them at bay. Smesmo recorded her eighth win of the season and nearly matched her single game strikeout record from a season ago, as she sat down 14 BSU batters by virtue of the K.
Yancy and Gale connected for the fourth run of the game for the Wolves in the bottom of the fifth. Gale stepped to the plate with one out in the inning and connected for a single to third base. Gale then recorded her first stolen base of the day before Yancy plated her with a double to left.
Game Two The Wolves started off the scoring right from the get go, with three runs in the bottom of the first.
Kelsey Gale walked and later came around to score off an
Eryn Yancy single.
Macey Engel and Yancy scored the final two runs of the inning off the bats of
Rachel Albright and
Ashley Clapp.
Northern came back with two runs a piece in the next two innings of play to make the score 7-0.
Courtney Moore recorded the team's first triple of the season in the bottom of the third with a shot to right field that scored
Ashley Clapp who had singled the at bat prior. The Wolves took advantage of base runners as BSU starter Jecmen walked and hit two batters in the game.
Missy Elkins was perfection for the Wolves through 6.1 innings of play striking out eight Beaver hitters and giving up only two hits. Bemidji however came across with a run in the top of the seventh off a hit batsmen and an error by the third basemen. Elkins recorded her third win of the season in the game.
Northern will be back in action tomorrow from Mocassin Creek as they take on Minnesota Crookston. Game times are set for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. between the two squads.
