MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead softball team ran into a strong University of Sioux Falls squad on Friday and fell in a pair of games, losing 10-0 (five innings) and 13-1 (six innings).
MSUM fell to 7-13 overall and 0-4 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference while USF, which has won seven in a row, improved to 22-7 overall and 6-0 in the league.
On a cold, snowy and windy day in Moorhead, Minn., USF pitchers held the Dragon offense in check on the day, allowing just one run and five hits in the two games. The Cougar came into the day hitting .335 as a team and produced 26 hits in the twinbill.
In the opener, MSUM was held to one hit, a single by junior designated hitter
Kristina Villalobos in the fifth. Senior pitcher
Morgan Nybo took the loss, going three innings. She struck out one and walked one and allowed six runs, but only two were earned. Redshirt freshman
Gabby Williams pitched the final two innings and gave up four runs, three earned.
USF scored twice in the second to take a 2-0 lead and added four unearned runs in the third to make it 6-0. The Cougars posted three more runs in the fourth and added another in the fifth to make it 10-0.
MSUM had four hits in the second game. Junior first baseman
Lauren Meeker was 1-for-2 with an RBI while senior left fielder
Kristy Bruni was 1-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base. Junior second baseman
Jill Fox and freshman third baseman
Morgan Anderson added hits for the Dragons.
Senior
Kristen Nordby took the loss for MSUM, going three innings and allowing eight runs (six earned). She struck out two and walked two. Nybo finished and allowed four earned runs in three innings.
The Cougars scored three times in the first and five in the third to take an 8-0 lead. With one out in the fourth, MSUM got on the board as Bruni singled, and moved to second on a wild pitch. She stole third and scored on Meeker's groundout to second, making it 8-1.
As the weather conditions deteriorated, pitching became difficult, and USF was able to score five runs in the sixth to make it 13-1.
MSUM is off until Tuesday, March 29 when it plays at doubleheader at Minnesota Duluth.
