Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box

MARSHALL, Minn. - In a tale of two games, the Southwest Minnesota State softball team paired a 9-0 victory over Bemidji State with a 3-1 loss to the Beavers Friday afternoon at Mustang Field in Marshall, Minn.  Amanda Johnson threw a no-hitter in the opening game of the twinbill--the first of her career.

The split puts SMSU at 15-15 (7-1 NSIC); BSU is now 8-14 (3-7 NSIC).

Johnson was dominant in game one, not walking a single batter and striking out eight en route to her no-hitter.  The senior improves to 7-6 on the season.

SMSU rained a trio of three-run innings on the Beavers to end the contest after five innings.

In the first inning, Jess Paczosa got the bats going for SMSU, dropping in a single to right field.  Two-batters later Amanda Burkhart singled to left left field to score Paczosa.  Amanda Tucci stepped to the plate as the ensuing batter and crushed a two-run homer to give the Mustangs a 3-0 advantage.

The second inning was much of the same from SMSU; Kristin Braden hit in the two of the first three runs the Mustangs scored in the second, singling to center field with the bases loaded to score Meaghan Laetsch, who had reached on a single, and Paczosa, who had been hit by a pitch.

One more three-run inning was all the Mustangs needed, and Andrea Fennern took care of that, sending a three-run homer over the fence to make it 9-0.  SMSU settled on the 9-0 lead to close the game at five innings.

Nicole Kelley finished 2 for 3 at the plate for SMSU; Braden, Burkhart and Tucci each had two RBIs, while Fenner charted three in the category.

It was a bit of record-tying contest for the Mustangs in game one.  Tucci's homerun tied her with Erin Dickhausen's career record of 26 homeruns, and Burkhart's two RBIs tied her with Dickhausen's record of 125 career RBIs.

The momentum, however, failed to carry to the second game of the doubleheader.

BSU's two-run sixth inning was the knockout punch in game two as the Beavers posted a 3-1 victory.

Stagnant offenses plagued both squads early on as neither team got on the board until the fourth inning.

But it was the Beavers that did break the 0-0 stalemate in the top of the fourth, scoring their first run of the day to go up 1-0.

The Mustangs quickly answered with an Amanda Voss single to score pinch runner Jeanine Robinson.  Robinson put herself in scoring position when she stole second earlier in the inning.

Another scoreless inning emerged in the fifth.

BSU had a big sixth inning though, scoring a pair of runs to take a 3-1 lead.  The Mustangs had no answer in the bottom half of the inning, and neither team managed a run in the final inning.

Ali Honken suffered the loss in the circle for SMSU, going 5.0 innings and giving up six hits and a pair of runs.  Johnson worked 2.0 innings for the Mustangs, giving up a hit and a run.

Tucci and Kelley each collected two hits for the Mustangs.  Voss accounted for the lone SMSU RBI.

The Mustangs continue Easter weekend conference play tomorrow when Minnesota Duluth come to town for a 12 p.m. doubleheader.