Rochester, Minn. – The Northern State University softball team went 1-1 on the first day of the NSIC Tournament, falling to Southwest Minnesota State in game one and defeating Concordia-St. Paul in game two. The Wolves advance to the second day of competition, looking to work their way through the elimination side of the bracket. The match-up with the Golden Bears was the first of the season between the two teams.
THE QUICK DETAILS
Game 1 Final Score: NSU 1, SMSU 4
Game 2 Final Score: NSU 5, CSP 0
Records: NSU 23-19, SMSU 28-18, CSP 23-21
Game 1
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Southwest took an early lead in game one, notching a pair of runs in the first and second, while adding two more in the bottom of the sixth
- Northern tallied their one run of the contest in the seventh, on a single by Elly Smith which scored Emily Charchuk
- The Wolves out-hit the Mustangs in the game, notching eight two hits, however suffered two errors defensively
- Meghan Anderson suffered the loss for NSU, giving up four runs (one earned) on six hits with nine strikeouts
NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
Game 2
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Wolves scored first in the top of the second on a homerun by sophomore Shelby Novotny
- Northern added another three runs in the fourth and one in the seventh, sealing the shutout victory
- Rachel Reinke single to center in the fourth, scoring Elly Smith and Emily Charchuk, followed by an Ashley Fauske single, scoring Emma Terveer
- Elyse Cuttic notched a single of her own in the top of the seventh, with Reinke scoring on a throwing error by the Golden Bear shortstop
- NSU tallied ten total hits in the contest and played perfect defense
- Meghan Anderson bounced back, notching her 11th victory of the season in 5.2 shutout innings of work
- Cuttic threw the final 1.1 of relief with three strikeouts
NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Rachel Reinke: 3-for-4, 1 run, 2 RBI
- Ashley Fauske: 2-for-3, 1 RBI
- Emily Charchuk: 2-for-3, 1 run, stolen base
- Shelby Novotny: 1-for-3, 1 run, 1 RBI, homerun
- Meghan Anderson: 5.2 innings pitched, 4 hits, 9 strikeouts, win
UP NEXT
Northern State will face the University of Sioux Falls on Friday morning. First pitch is set for 10 a.m. in Rochester. The Cougars are 22-23 on the year, notching a win over Minot State and loss to Augustana earlier today. The Wolves went 1-1 versus the Cougars in league action in 2021. Live links are posted on the schedule page at nsuwolves.com.