Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead softball team lost a pair of games to Southwest Minnesota State on Friday. The Dragons lost a 5-4 heartbreaker in 14 innings in the opening game and dropped a 7-0 contest in the second.

MSUM dropped to 15-22 overall and 9-17 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with the losses, while SMSU improved to 14-29-1 overall and 11-16-1 in the league.

In the first game, six Dragons had at least two hits. Junior catcher Brittany York was 3-for-7 with two RBI, while junior center fielder Mollie Annen was 3-for-7 with two runs scored. Junior shortstop Taylor Huss was 3-for-7 with a double and an RBI. Junior right fielder Heather Tice was 3-for-6, while sophomore catcher Kristen Nordby was 2-for-6 with an RBI double while freshman third baseman Kristina Villalobos had two hits.

Sophomore Morgan Nybo went the entire way and pitched well, allowing just three earned runs in 14 innings. She struck out nine and walked five and allowed 15 hits.
The two teams combined for 31 hits (16 for MSUM, 15 for SMSU) and combined to leave 33 runners on base (17 for SMSU, 16 for MSUM).

"It was a tough loss," MSUM head coach Kelsey Fehl said. "We had our chances in the extra innings but just couldn't find a way to get it done. We showed resiliency in coming back and tying the game on two separate occasions but just couldn't get that one more hit we needed to get the win."

The Dragons were down 3-0 after four innings, and that score stayed the same until the sixth inning. Huss led off with a single and was forced out at second on a fielder's choice by Nybo. One out later, Nordby doubled to right-center field to score Nybo, bringing MSUM within 3-1.

Facing a two-run deficit in the seventh, MSUM needed a rally, and Annen started it with a double to right field with one out. One out later, York singled past second base to score Annen, bringing MSUM within 3-2. Huss then delivered a huge hit, a double to deep left, to score Hannah Klug, who was pinch running for York, to tie the game at 3-3.

MSUM had the winning run on second in the seventh but was unable to get the it across.

The Mustangs regained the lead in the top of the ninth with a run. In the bottom of the ninth, Annen singled to lead off the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Tice. York singled to left, and Annen came around to score to tie the game at 4-4. York moved to second on the throw on the base hit and was in scoring position with one out, but a strikeout and flyout ended the threat.

In the 11th, the Dragons loaded the bases with two out but were unable to  get the winning run across.

SMSU broke the 4-4 deadlock with an unearned run in the top of the 14th. In the bottom of the inning, Huss singled to lead off the inning, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Nybo.  She moved to third on a groundout, and Nordby walked to put the winning run on first. However, a groundout ended that threat.

The second game was close through the first five innings – the Mustangs led 2-0 at that point -- before SMSU broke through with five runs in the sixth inning to stretch the lead to 7-0, which was the final.

MSUM managed just four hits in the game – singles by Nordby, York, Huss and freshman second baseman Jill Fox. The Dragons stranded five runners in that game.
Nordby took the loss, allowing seven runs (five earned) in seven innings. She struck out two and walked one.

The Mustangs led 2-0 after the fourth before pulling away with the five-run rally.

MSUM's best threat was in the sixth, when York and Huss hit back-to-back singles with two out but a flyout ended the threat.

The Dragons wrap up the regular season on Saturday with a doubleheader against Sioux Falls. First pitch is at 1 p.m. at the MSUM Softball Field.