MOORHEAD, Minn. — Junior Ally Helgoe's walkout RBI single in the bottom of the eighth scored the game-winning run as the Minnesota State University Moorhead softball team edged Bemidji State, 2-1 in Game 2 of a doubleheader on Sunday. The win gave the Dragons a split on the day as Bemidji State won the opener 7-4.
MSUM is now 6-20 overall and 4-8 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Bemidji State is 8-18 and 4-8 in the NSIC.
In Game 2, senior center fielder Elizabeth Johnson was 2-for-4 for MSUM. Helgoe was 1-for-4 with an RBI while freshman shortstop Miah Hartvigsen was 1-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. Senior third baseman Emma Dummer added a hit.
Junior Anna Lang pitched her best game of the season, going eight innings and allowing one earned run. She gave up four hits and walked two, striking out seven.
MSUM threatened twice in Game 2 — the Dragons loaded the bases with nobody out in the third, and put runners on second and third with one out in the seventh — but couldn't get a run across either time.
In the eighth, Hartvigsen reached on an error by the pitcher and advanced to second. She moved to third on a flyout by junior catcher Jordie McNeilly, and then Helgoe delivered with a two-out, RBI single to score Hartvigsen with the game-winning run.
The first Dragon run scored in the sixth after Bemidji State had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the frame. Dummer singled, and sophomore Kiley Washnieski pinch-ran for her. Junior right fielder Jordey Smith executed a sacrifice bunt to move Washnieski to second, and Hartvigsen singled to center to score Washnieski with the tying run.
"Anna had a great bounce-back game today and limited them all game," MSUM head coach Amanda Reckamp said. "We kept pressing them with our bats and we were definitely due to make something happen late as we continued to put people in scoring position. Kiley came up big for us with great base running to tie us up. And Ally was looking for exactly what she got in that game winning at-bat and executed perfectly. It was good to see that from her in that clutch situation."
All nine Dragon starters had a hit in Game 1. Freshman shortstop Miah Hartvigsen was 3-for-4 with two RBI in the opener while McNeilly and Helgoe were each 1-for-4 with an RBI. Gjerde was 2-for-4 while Dummer had a double and scored two runs. Smith, Johnson, Weber and Sundeen each added hits.
MSUM outhit the Beavers 12-7 but left 10 runners on base.
Freshman Reece Dahl took the loss, giving up seven runs (all earned) in seven innings. She walked six and struck out seven.
MSUM led 1-0 after Helgoe's RBI single in the second, but a four-run Bemidji third inning proved to be the difference. Hartvigsen had a pair of RBI singles later in the game while McNeilly drove in a run on a fielder's choice.
The Dragons are off until April 17 when they host Southwest Minnesota State for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
