ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead softball team dropped a pair of games to No. 22 Winona State on Sunday in Aberdeen, S.D. The Dragons lost a 3-2 heartbreaker in eight innings in the opener and dropped the second game 12-0 in five innings.

MSUM is 8-15 overall and 2-4 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference while Winona State, the preseason NSIC favorite, improved to 21-5 and 6-0 in the league.

In the opener, MSUM led 2-0 after five innings before Winona State rallied to tie the game in the seventh. The Warriors pushed the winning run across in the eighth; the Dragons had the tying run at second in the bottom of the inning but couldn't push it across.

Freshman second baseman Kaiya Sundeen was 1-for-2 with a two-run homer in the opener for MSUM. She also reached on a walk. Junior designated player Payton Gaber was 1-for-3 with a double while freshman outfielder Shay Weber scored a run

Sophomore Becky Berth pitched well in defeat, giving up three earned runs in eight innings. She struck out three and walked three.

Sundeen's two-run homer came in the second after Gaber had doubled to led off the inning. Weber pinch-ran for Gaber and scored on the homer.

MSUM led 2-0 going into the sixth but Winona State's Allison Nowak homered to cut the lead in half. The Warriors tied the game in the seventh on a groundout.

In the second game, Weber and sophomore Ashley McCance had hits for MSUM.  Freshman Anna Lang took the loss, giving up 11 earned runs in five innings.

The Dragons will play at Minot State on Tuesday for a doubleheader.