MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead softball team lost a pair of games to the University of Mary on Thursday, losing by scores of 5-1 and 4-3. The doubleheader took place at the MSUM Softball Field.

MSUM fell to 11-15 with the two losses while Mary improved to 18-21 overall.

In the opener, senior catcher Brittany York was 2-for-3 with a double, while sophomore right fielder Hannah Klug was 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored.

Junior pitcher Morgan Nybo took the loss on the mound for MSUM, going the distance. She struck out four and walked none, allowing five runs (three earned) in seven innings.

The difference in the game was a four-run fifth inning for Mary. The Marauders had four hits in the inning, including a triple, and capitalized on a pair of Dragon errors to build their lead to 5-0.

MSUM's run came in the sixth. Klug doubled with one out, and later scored on an error.

In the second game, senior center fielder Mollie Annen was 3-for-4 while right fielder Kristy Bruni was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Senior shortstop Taylor Huss was 1-for-3 while Klug was 1-for-1 with a run scored. Sophomore first baseman Lauren Meeker had an RBI.
Junior Kristen Nordby suffered the loss on the mound, allowing four runs (three earned) in five innings. She struck out one and walked two. Sophomore Carly Williamson pitched two perfect innings of relief.

The Dragons faced a 4-0 deficit in the game before starting a comeback in the sixth. Huss led off with a single, and moved to second on the play after the ball was misplayed in center field. One out later, Klug followed with an infield single to put runners on first and third with one out.

Bruni singled to left to score Huss with the Dragons' first run, allowing Klug to move to third. Meeker delivered a sacrifice fly to center to score Klug, bringing MSUM within 4-2.

In the seventh, the Dragons had a chance to tie. Williamson walked to lead off the inning and moved to second on a single by Annen. Sophomore Jill Fox's sacrifice bunt moved both runners ahead. Williamson scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-3, moving the tying run to third with one out. However, back-to-back groundouts ended the Dragons' hopes.

"We gave ourselves a great chance in the seventh," MSUM head coach Kelsey Fehl said. "We just weren't able to get it done."

MSUM plays at Concordia-St. Paul for a doubleheader on Friday. The twinbill begins at 3 p.m. in St. Paul, Minn.