Softball closes regular season with a 13-game winning streak

The team swept both Northern State and MSU Moorhead at home Friday and Sunday

Jenna Peterson
Staff Writer

This past weekend, the Minnesota State softball team concluded the regular season with a weekend sweep at home over the Northern State Wolves and the MSU Moorhead Dragons on Friday and Sunday.  

The first game of a two-game doubleheader against Northern State started off with two runs right out of the gate in the first inning after Wolves second baseman Courtney Sjerven hit a home run to left field, bringing home sophomore center fielder Rachel Reinke to put them up 2-0.

The Mavericks got their first run of the game in the second inning after freshman right fielder Kayla Moky hit a single through the right side, allowing junior third baseman Kennedy Rieck to score, cutting the Wolves lead in half to 2-1. 

In the third inning, sophomore shortstop Torey Richards singled through the left side, scoring sophomore second baseman Julia Bastian to tie the game up at 2-2.

The last run of the game was scored by the Mavericks in the seventh inning. Sophomore designated hitter Hailey Forshee hit a single to right field, scoring junior first baseman Amber Kral for the game-winning run. The Mavericks won 3-2.

The second game was much like the first game. The Mavericks scored all of their runs in the first three innings. 

In the first inning, Kral hit a single to left field, bringing Paap home. 

In inning two, Paap hit a bunt single, allowing Richards to score, pushing the team’s lead to 2-0.

In the third inning, Richards hit a single, advancing to second, allowing Kral to score on the play to increase the lead to 3-0.

The Wolves scored their two runs in the fourth inning. Junior Kaitlyn King hit a single up the middle of the field, advancing junior catcher Madison Rutter to second, junior left fielder Julia Sullwold scored, unearned, and sophomore Emma Terveer scored, unearned. The end score of this game was 3-2 with a Maverick win.

On Sunday, the Mavericks played another doubleheader against the MSU Moorhead Dragons at home.

The first game against the Dragons was only six innings long, with the Dragons’ only run being scored in the first inning. Senior shortstop Taylor Roddie hit a home run to center field. 

The Mavericks scored in each inning this game, except the fifth. 

In the first inning, senior catcher Cori Kennedy hit a single to left field, having Paap score at home.

In the second inning, Rieck hit a single through the left side, bringing Richards home.

The third inning was the highest scoring inning for the Mavericks, where they scored a total of four runs. Forshee hit a single, advancing Bastian to third base and having Kral and Kennedy score. 

Potter then reached to first base due to a fielding error, but got out at second, Richards advanced to third, and Forshee and Bastian scored, with both of them being unearned.

In the fourth inning, Kral hit a double to left center and Paap scored.

The sixth inning was the last time the Mavericks scored, where they brought in two more runs. Kennedy flied the ball out to center field, advancing Paap to third and Potter scored; due to a wild pitch, Paap scored. The final score for this game was 9-1 with a Maverick win.

The second game was all Mavericks once again. Their first run was scored in the second inning, where Kennedy hit a home run to right field, and in the fifth inning Potter hit a home run to center field.

The Dragons scored their only runs in the sixth inning. Sophomore center fielder Elizabeth Johnson hit a single to right field, advancing reserve-freshman left fielder Samantha Gjerde to second, freshman Kaiya Sundeen to third, and bringing junior first baseman Payton Gaber home.

The last run of the game was scored by the Mavericks. Sophomore Emma Schifferle flied the ball pout to center field and pinch-runner Caitlin Stone scored, unearned, for the walk-off win, 3-2 in seven innings. 

Coming up for the Mavericks, the NSIC Softball Tournament begins for them against St. Cloud State University at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 2 in Rochester.

Header photo by Nidia Mariscal | MSU Reporter.