WEST ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota State University Moorhead softball team split two games to open the season on Wednesday at the West St. Paul Dome tournament in West St. Paul, Minn. The Dragons opened the day with a 7-5 win over Bemidji State before falling to Minot State 9-1 to end their day.

All four games at the event, including the two games on Thursday, for MSUM (1-1) are nonconference contests.

In the win over Bemidji State, senior shortstop Taylor Huss was 2-for-3 with a three-run homer. Sophomore left fielder Carly Williamson was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI, while senior center fielder Mollie Annen was 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored. Sophomore right fielder Hannah Klug had a triple, while senior Brittany York, sophomore first baseman Lauren Meeker and sophomore third baseman Kristina Villalobos also had hits for the Dragons.

Junior Morgan Nybo pitched a complete game to get the win for MSUM. She struck out a career-high 11 batters and allowed five runs, all earned. She walked five.

The Dragons scored in each of the first four innings. Annen doubled to lead off the first, stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly by York to give them an early 1-0 lead.

The lead grew to 3-0 in the second. Meeker singled and was pinch-ran for by senior Rachel Sannicandro, who moved to second on a passed ball. One out later, junior second baseman Kristen Nordby walked and with two out, Williamson doubled to left to score both runners to give the Dragons a three-run lead.

Klug started the Dragons' third-inning rally with a walk. She stole second and moved to third on a single by York. Huss then delivered a three-run homer to center to push the Dragon lead to 6-0.

A pair of home runs in the fourth helped Bemidji State cut the Dragon lead in half at 6-3. Villalobos led off with a single, and sophomore Katelyn Ramberg pinch-hit for her. Two outs later, Klug tripled to left to score Ramberg, giving MSUM a 7-3 lead.

Bemidji State cut the lead to 7-5 with a two-run sixth inning but got no closer. Nybo retired the Beavers in order in the seventh to preserve the win for MSUM.

The second game was deadlocked at 1-1 for four innings before Minot State, which was playing its seventh game of the season (compared to the second for MSUM), broke the game open with a seven-run fifth inning, keyed by a grand slam by catcher Sarah Nicks.

Huss had her second home run of the day to provide the scoring for MSUM. Freshman third baseman Sydney Beck was 2-for-2 with a double while Annen added a double.

Minot State scored in the bottom of the second on a homer to take a 1-0 lead. Huss tied the game with a solo blast in the fourth with one out.

The Beavers scored seven runs in the fifth, including four on a grand slam, to build an 8-1 lead, and they added a run in the sixth to finish the game off by the eight-run rule.

Nordby took the loss for MSUM, allowing nine earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. She struck out five and walked four.

The Dragons will play two more games on Thursday at the West St. Paul tournament, starting at 9 a.m. against Minnesota Crookston and finishing with a game against Bemidji State at 11 a.m.