Mavs Softball on six-game win streak
The Minnesota State softball team went undefeated this past week. Wednesday, the Mavericks were able to sweep the University of Sioux Falls 5-4 in game one and 8-2 in game two. Then Sunday Bemidji State University was completely shut out by the Purple and Gold, 13-0 and 5-0.
Junior pitcher Coley Ries earned her third straight NSIC Pitcher of the Week honor after a great performance against Sioux Falls. Ries pitched the first game of the day for the Mavericks, pitching all eight innings and capturing a new single-game career-high with 19 strikeouts against the Cougars. It was win number 14 for Ries this season.
MSU’s Dana Mogren led the offense for the Mavericks in the first inning. The junior infielder hit an RBI single up the middle of the field to score freshman McKenzie Paap who started the inning with a single and stolen base.
During the third inning, senior Emily Bransky scored on a wild pitch to bring the Maverick’s lead to 2-1. In the sixth inning, Mogren hit another RBI that got senior Tatum Klein home.
Mogren finished the first game against the Cougars going 2-3 from the plate with two RBIs and one run scored, while Klein finished 3-4 from the plate and two runs scored.
In the second game of the day, sophomore Libby Bemis tallied the win, her eighth of the season.
Mogren continued to dominate offensively during the game, going 2-4 from the plate with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored. Paap went for a perfect 4-4 from the plate with a double and two runs scored. The Mavericks tallied 25 hits against the Cougars in the two games.
Sunday, the Mavericks took on the Beavers in Mankato in sunny 73 degree weather. The Purple and Gold dominated both wins with a total of 28 hits and nine stolen bases.
The Mavericks easily slid past the Beavers in six innings for the first game. Ries added another win, with 15 on the season as she pitched five innings and struck out five Beaver batters.
Mogren and sophomore Kara Lattery started the offense for the Mavericks as they each earned an RBI single in the first inning.
Mogren stepped up again in the second inning when she hit a triple with the bases loaded to put the Purple and Gold up 5-0 going into the third.
After five innings, the Mavericks were up 7-0. Bransky stole two bases and sophomore Kelly Grove performed well with an RBI for the Mavs. In the sixth inning, MSU really took control and scored their last six runs.
Bemis pitched the second game against the Beavers and shut them out as well. Mogren continued to create offense for MSU as she collected three more hits in the win and scored to two runs.
With the four-win sweep, the Mavs improve to an overall record of 25-9 and 8-2 in NSIC play. MSU will be extremely busy these next three weeks as they have five more series at home and five on the road before the NSIC tournament begins April 28.
The Mavericks would play Minnesota Crookston in a doubleheader on Monday, April 4. The first game was dominated by Bemis, as she went 7 innings and only allowed one hit the entire game. She also struck out 7 to earn her 10th win on the season. The Mavericks would score all of their offense in the first two innings, as they scored five in the first and one in the second inning. Klein was 2 for 4 with a run scored. Jess Meidl went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. The Mavs would win 6-0.
The Mavericks would dominate the second game, winning the game by the ten-run rule, 12-2. Katie Koponen would pitch the full 6 innings the game would go, allowing only two runs and four hits to earn his second win. The Mavericks would score 12 runs in the 3rd-6th innings, with Lattery homering in the fourth. The Mavericks would combine for 14 hits in the game. The Mavericks will face Upper Iowa in a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 6 in Mankato.
Photo: Pitcher Libby Bemis pitched a one-hit shutout against Minnesota-Crookston on Monday. (Yohanes Ashenafi/The Reporter)