ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead softball team opened Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play with a sweep of Northern State on Tuesday in Aberdeen, S.D. MSUM prevailed by scores of 5-4 and 16-7.
 
It is the first NSIC-opening doubleheader sweep for MSUM since 2011 when the Dragons swept Upper Iowa.  MSUM is now 5-13 overall and 2-0 in the NSIC while Northern State fell to 8-16 overall and 0-2 in the league.
 
In the opener, freshman Avery Steffen picked up her first collegiate pitching win on Tuesday, going 4.2 innings. She allowed three hits and one earned run and struck out a career-high nine.
 
Sophomore Reece Dahl gave up three runs, two earned, in 1.1 innings while senior Anna Lang pitched a scoreless seventh to pick up her first save of the season.
 
Freshman shortstop Annika Norman was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI to pace the Dragons at the plate. Steffen was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI while senior first baseman Jordey Smith was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
 
Freshman third baseman Ella Holiman was 1-for-2 with an RBI, while freshman right fielder Eliyah McCarthy was 1-for-3.
 
MSUM led 1-0 after the fourth when Holiman's RBI single scored Norman, who had doubled to lead off the inning.
 
The Dragons opened a 5-0 lead with a four-run fifth inning. Freshman Hannah Losee reached on an error and then stole second; after a sacrifice bunt by Kiley Washnieski she moved to third. Senior center fielder Shay Weber was hit by a pitch and stole second. Norman delivered with a two-run single to right to score Weber and Losee, making the score 3-0.
 
Smith followed with an RBI double and one out later, Steffen singled up the middle to score Smith, making it 5-0.
 
The Wolves scored a single run in the fifth, and then used a pair of home runs in the sixth to cut the lead to 5-4. Lang came in during the seventh and allowed a two-out hit but got the final out for the save.
 
The second game was a wild contest as the Dragons recorded season highs in runs (16) and hits (14). McCarthy was 3-for-5 with three RBI while Steffen was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Smith was 2-for-5 with two RBI and a double while sophomore catcher Jessie Undem was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.
 
Norman was 2-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored while Losee was 1-for-3 with a double and three RBI. Sophomore pitcher Evey Evans was 1-for-2 with an RBI while Washnieski scored two runs and had an RBI.
 
Lang started on the mound and gave up seven runs, six earned, in 3.1 innings. Evans pitched well in relief to get the win, giving up zero runs in 3.2 innings with one walk and three hits allowed.
 
The Dragons took a 4-0 lead in the third of Game 2, thanks to a two-run single from McCarthy and RBI singles from Norman and Smith.
 
Northern answered with a six-run third to take a 6-4 lead. The Dragons responded quickly with three runs in the fourth, keyed by an RBI double from Undem, an RBI single from Evans and a sacrifice fly from Washnieski.
 
Northern tied the game at 7-7 with a run in the bottom of the fourth, but it was all Dragons after that.
 
A six-run sixth inning broke the game open for MSUM, keyed by four hits, a pair of walks and a Northern error. Steffen hit a two-run double to give MSUM a 9-7 advantage, and moments later, Losee ripped a three-run double to make it 12-7. Holiman's sacrifice fly scored Losee to make it 13-7.
 
The Dragons added three more insurance runs in the seventh, thanks to an RBI double from Smith, an RBI single from McCarthy and a sacrifice fly from Steffen.
 
MSUM plays at Bemidji State for a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday.