BISMARCK, N.D. - The Minnesota State University Moorhead softball team took on the University of Mary in the team's first contest in the mid-west. The Marauders snuck out a win 3-2 in the first game and completed the sweep with an 11-4 win at home.

Jessica Mroz got the Dragons started in the first game with a lead off walk from Hagness. Mroz advanced to third on a Desi DeMarco double and the Dragons had two runners in scoring position to start the game. Mroz would later score on a sacrifice fly from Amanda Moore to right field.

A.J. Hoefer took advantage of poor pitching in the third with the game tied 1-1. Hoefer worked a walk with two outs to start a rally for the Dragons. Hoefer would move up on a Casey Preston single and both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch by Hagness. Jessica Hollis would put the Dragons ahead with a ringing single that scored Hoefer but Preston was thrown out trying to give the Dragons a bigger cushion.

The lead would slip from the Dragons in the bottom of the seventh as the Marauders led off the inning with two singles and capitalized on an MSUM error to load the bases. A single by Melissa Gonzales would tie the game at two and leave the bases full with one out. It took just two more pitches for the home team to take the game as a speedy as Andrea Brunskill slid across the plate on a wild pitch to move the score to 3-2 in favor of the Marauders.

In game two, Mroz would continue solid lead-off skills as she smacked a single to again put the Maruaders on the ropes early. Mroz would be sacrificed to third and eventually scored on a Hoefer single.

The Dragons would muscle up as Preston belted a home run to tie the game 3-3 after the Maruaders took a two-run lead in the bottom of the third. The Dragons could not keep the bats hot and fell in the second game, 4-11.

Preston was a hard player to stop as the lone senior went 4-for-6 on the day including three singles and home run. Katie Howland was also impressive, going 3-for-3 in the first game. Alexa D'Onofrio was solid in game one for the Dragons, allowing only one earned run over six innings while striking out five batters.

The Dragons, 2-14, will return to Moorhead to play the home doubleheader to open Nemzek Field and conference play on April 2 against Wayne State (Neb.) beginning at noon.