Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

WEST ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead softball team saw its four-game winning streak end on Wednesday as the Dragons lost to Minnesota-Duluth, 3-0 and 13-0 in a conference doubleheader held at the West St. Paul Dome in West St. Paul, Minn.

UMD, which entered the game leading the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in several offensive categories, including home runs (now with 58 on the year), is in second place in the 16-team NSIC and improved to 36-10 with the wins.

In the first game, the Dragons played well -- and pitched well -- but could not come up with the big run-producing hit, stranding 10 runners on base. In the second contest, MSUM fell victim to a big inning by UMD as the Bulldogs broke a scoreless tie with eight runs in the fourth inning.

"In the first game we had our opportunities, we just could not come up with the clutch hit," MSUM head coach Kelsey Fehl said. "Morgan Nybo pitched well and we played good defense, we just weren't able to break through with the key hit to get any runs across. In the second game their big fourth inning hurt us. We have to work to take advantage of our scoring chances and to keep teams away from those big innings."

In the first game, sophomore Taylor Huss was 2-for-2, while sophomore Amanda Lynch was 2-for-3. Sophomore Moriah Bruns was 1-for-4, while sophomores Mollie Annen and Brittany York each reached twice on walks.

Freshman Morgan Nybo pitched well and kept the Dragons close for much the way. She allowed just one run through six innings before surrendering a pair of solo homers in the top of the seventh. She went the distance, allowing three earned runs, striking out four while walking five.

UMD got on the board in the third thanks to an RBI double by Kierra Jeffers.

The Dragons had a good scoring chance in the fourth when Lynch and Huss hit back-to-back singles with one out. However, UMD's Julie Nealer struck out the final two batters of the inning to end the threat.

MSUM also had two runners on in the fifth as Annen and York each reached base on walks, but a groundout ended that threat.

In the sixth, with one out, Huss singled, and one out later, freshman Kristen Nordby walked. But once again Nealer escaped with a strikeout.
UMD added two valuable insurance runs in the seventh on a pair of solo homers to make the final count 3-0.

In the second game, Annen and Moore each reached on singles for MSUM.  Freshman Katie Edison got off to a promising start on the mound for MSUM, pitching three scoreless innings to start the game, but ran into trouble in the fourth when UMD broke through for eight runs on seven hits, taking advantage of two Dragon errors.

Edison allowed eight runs (seven earned) in 3.1 innings, striking out one. Freshman Taylor Clifton finished the game in relief, allowing five earned runs in 1.1 innings.

The Bulldogs scored five times in the fifth to put the game out of reach.
The Dragons wrap up the 2013 season with a pair of road doubleheaders this weekend, starting Saturday at Sioux Falls and Sunday at Southwest Minnesota State.

"We have four games left and we have a chance to finish the year with some momentum," Fehl said. "With a team as young as ours it would be a good way to end the year and start building for next season."