Aberdeen, S.D. – Notching their second NSIC sweep of the season, the Northern State University softball team improved to 17-13 overall and 7-3 in the league with two wins over Southwest Minnesota State. The Wolves downed the Mustangs with game scores of 6-0 and 8-2.
Northern recorded their fourth shutout victory of the season in game one, scoring in the third, fourth, and six innings. The Wolves struck first in the bottom of the third as
Katie Dawson singled in
Jenna Helgeson.
NSU then broke things open in the bottom of the fourth with four runs on four hits.
Katie Uittenbogaard led off the inning with a double to left field and came around to score, via pinch runner
Emma Terveer, on a throwing error by the pitcher.
Kaitlyn King and
Courtney Sjerven then hit back-to-back doubles scoring
Madison Rutter and
Cassidy Schaar who each reached base with a bunt. King also scored on the Sjerven double up the middle.
Kennady Thompson grabbed the final run for the Wolves in the bottom of the sixth, with a solo bomb to deep left center.
Sjerven, Dawson, and Schaar each tallied two hits in the win, with Schaar leading the team going a perfect 2-for-2 with a run scored. Uittenbogaard, King, and
Rachel Reinke each recorded a double, as five of the Wolves ten hits were for extra bases. Sjerven notched a team leading two RBI, while Thompson, Dawson, and King tallied one apiece.
Jamie Fisher threw her fourth complete game shutout victory of the season, improving to 12-8 overall. The junior gave up six hits and struck out two, holding the Mustangs scoreless. She then grabbed the game two win, entering in relief in the top of the third. The Omaha native, threw 4.1 scoreless innings, giving up just two hits and striking out one in her 13
th win of the year.
Northern scored first again in game two, notching four runs in the bottom of the second inning. Rutter doubled in Uittenbogaard and Fisher, while Sjerven connected for a single up the middle scoring
Shayla Steinley and Rutter. SMSU answered with two runs in the top of the third, however the Wolves were not done yet.
Thompson led off the bottom of the third with her second homerun of the afternoon, this time to dead centerfield. Dawson followed with a single up the middle, and came around to scored four at-bats later as Rutter lined out to left with a sacrifice.
Jenna Helgeson then capped off the game with a solo shot of her own to dead center in the bottom of the fourth.
Helgeson and Thompson each notched two hits, going 2-for-4 and 2-for-3 respectively with a run scored. Steinley went 2-for-3 with a run scored and RBI as the final Wolf with multiple hits. Rutter tallied a double, while Schaar, Uittenbogaard, Dawson, and Sjerven each notched a single.
Northern will remain at home on Wednesday with a doubleheader versus the University of Mary. Game time is currently set for 2 and 4 p.m. against the Marauders, however stay tuned to nsuwolves.com for game updates involving changes due to poor forecasted weather on Sunday in the Aberdeen area.