Crookston, Minn. – In their second extra inning match-up of the week, the Northern State University softball defeated Minnesota Crookston 4-3. The Wolves completed the doubleheader sweep with a 9-0 win in game two, improving to 30-20 overall and 17-10 in league play. With two games remaining in the regular season, the Wolves currently sit in fourth in the NSIC league standings.
 
Game One
 
The Golden Eagles scored first in the bottom of the first inning of NSU starter Kami Smesmo. Northern struggled to find baserunners throughout the opening innings of play. Eryn Yancy tied it all up for the Wolves with a long ball to right center in the fourth. The two teams remained tied at one all, until Northern broke open the lead in the seventh.
 
Brittany Lash led off the inning with a single to center. She scored just two at-bats later off a double to left by Michaela Liebl. The NSU lead did not last long, as Crookston answered back in the bottom half of the inning to tie the score at two.
 
NSU was headed to extras for the fifth time this season. The Wolves threatened with baserunners in the eighth, ninth, and tenth however were unable to put a run on the board.
 
Macey Engel led off the 11^th for NSU with a single up the middle. Brittney Lash stepped to the plate and belted a home run to dead center, scoring Engel and putting the Wolves up 4-2 over the Golden Eagles. UMC pushed a cross a run in the bottom frame, but Kami Smesmo held strong to record her 19^th victory of the season. The senior gave up nine hits and recorded seven strikeouts in the victory.
 
Game Two
 
Northern scored three runs a piece in the third, fourth, and sixth innings to record the mercy rule victory over the Golden Eagles. Missy Elkins threw her tenth win of the season holding UMC to six hits and no runs scored. Elkins struck out one in six innings of work.
 
Kelsey Gale led the Wolves in the win with three hits, two runs scored, and seven RBI. The junior tallied her sixth homerun and sixth double of the year. Courtney Moore also recorded a multiple hit game, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
 
Eryn Yancy, Brittney Lash, Macey Engel, Michaela Liebl, and Lauren Kunz each recorded a hit in the win.
 
NSU will be back in action tomorrow to wrap up the NSIC regular season versus Bemidji State. Game time is set for 1 and 3 p.m. between the Wolves and Beavers.