Minot, N.D. – After their first regional ranking in Division II program history, the Northern State University softball team notched their fifth NSIC sweep of the season with two wins over Minot State. The Wolves downed the Beavers with game scores of 12-9 and 7-1. Northern is now 25-17 overall and 15-7 in the NSIC, with just six games remaining in the regular season.
It was a high scoring affair in game one as the two team combined for 21 runs, scoring in six of the seven innings of action. The Wolves tallied three runs apiece in each of the first, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings of action. After going up 3-0 in the first at-bat of the day, Minot State took the 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third.
That lead however did not last long as Northern tallied three runs in the sixth, leading 6-4 through four complete. The Beavers answered with five more runs in the game, however it was not enough to break into the Northern State spread.
The Wolves busted out 16 team hits, including three triples and three homeruns. All three of the Northern State long balls came with two runners on base, combining for nine of the 12 RBI in the win. They were also a threat on the base paths with three stolen bases in four attempts.
Courtney Sjerven and
Kennady Thompson led the team with three hits each in the win. Sjerven went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, three RBI, and a homerun, while Thompson went 3-for-5 with one run scored, one RBI, and two doubles.
Kaitlyn King,
Jamie Fisher, and
Madison Rutter joined the multi-hit crew for NSU. King went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. Fisher was 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored, three RBI, two walks, and homerun. Rutter belted the first homerun of her career, going 2-for-4 with one run scored and three RBI.
Katie Uittenbogaard added a double, while
Jenna Helgeson and
Shayla Steinley each notched for a single.
Fisher made the start for the Wolves throwing a complete game win. The junior battled with the Minot offense, giving up nine earned runs on nine hits and six walks, with three strikeouts. She improved to 19-10 on the year, and is just one win shy of tying the single season school record.
It was all NSU in game two, as the Wolves nearly held the Beavers scoreless giving up just one run in the bottom of the fourth. Northern kicked off the game with four runs in the top of the first, while adding two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth. In total, they tallied seven earned runs off of 14 hits on MSU starter Kylie Patrick.
Katie Dawson was perfect at the plate, going 4-for-4 with two RBI and two doubles.
Cassidy Schaar followed, going 3-for-4 with a run scored and one RBI, while Uittenbogaard went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a double. Helgeson tallied a double for the Wolves, while Sjerven, King, Fisher, and Rutter each notched a single.
Makenzie Merritt notched her sixth win of the season on the mound, throwing seven complete innings. The freshman gave up just one earned run on six hits and one walk. She also struck out a season high six batters in the process.
Northern returns to action tomorrow after at 2 p.m. in a road doubleheader at MSU Moorhead.
