BOX SCORE - GAME 1
BOX SCORE - GAME 2

MANKATO, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State used 17 hits in game two of its double header with Minnesota State to salvage a split Friday in Mankato in both teams' Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference openers. The Mavericks downed the Mustangs 6-1 in game one, while SMSU topped MSU 11-7 in game two.

SMSU moves to 8-9 (1-1 NSIC), while MSU is now 15-5 (1-1 NSIC).

Minnesota State was led by a three-RBI performance from Kelsey Thompson in game one and a complete game effort from hurler Kendra Huettl, who allowed seven hits and one run.

Andrea Fennern finished 2 for 3 to pace the Mustangs. Katie Turner registered SMSU's lone RBI of the contest.

Ali Honken suffered her fifth loss of the season in the circle. She worked 1.2 innings and gave up three runs. Chelsey Evans replaced Honken in the second inning and gave up five hits and three run in 4.1 innings.

The Mavericks drew blood first, pushing three runs across in the bottom of the second inning.

Evans entered in the bottom half of the inning after Honken gave up those three runs and managed to get the Mustangs out of the second by forcing a ground out.

MSU tacked on a pair of runs in the fourth after Thompson doubled to center field to score two runs.

Turner's hard single down the ride side in the fifth inning drove in the Mustangs' first and only run of the game. The hit scored Christine Borowiak, who had singled four batters earlier.

Another run from the Mavericks on the bottom of the sixth inning put the host squad up 6-1 and in comfortable control of the contest.

The Mustangs failed to get their offense going in the final inning, and the Mavericks handed Shawn Semler his first NSIC-opening loss of his career at SMSU.

Amanda Neumann finished 4 for 5 with two RBIs in game two to lead a group of six Mustangs who recorded multi-hit games. Kiley Peterson notched three RBIs off her two hits.

Cortney Heim worked 5.0 innings and struckout seven for the Mustangs; she improves to 5-3 on the season.

The Mavericks again got on the board first in game two after Chelsea Erickson nailed a home run, which bounced off the top of the fence, in the bottom of the second inning.

In the third, Borowiak pushed in SMSU's first run when she took a high pitch and slammed her first triple of the season to center field for to score Hallahan, who had singled down the right field line two batters earlier.

In the midst of a momentum builder, the game was suspended for seven minutes due to a hard rain shower.

The brief hiatus, however, didn't completely kill the Mustang run. After the delay, Neumann singled to center field to score Borowiak and give SMSU its first lead of the day at 2-1.

Heim held the Mavericks scoreless in the third.

Turner immediately went to work in the fourth, doubling to lead off. She was quickly hit in off an Andrea Fennern single down the right field line.

Trailing 3-1, the Mavericks brought in Jenna Peterson, who jammed the bags by hitting Hallahan and gave SMSU a 4-1 advantage by walking Dreessen. Singles from Steen and Neumann in the ensuing at bats stretched the Mustang lead to 6-1.

Another pitching change put Huettl back in the circle for the Mavericks.

Another single—this one from Peterson—drove in two more Mustang runs, extended their lead to 8-1.

Huettl eventually got her team out of the inning by forcing a groundout and pop up.

The Mavericks nudged back in the bottom half of the inning, using three hits to score two runs. Heim exited the game after giving up those two runs. Evans again entered in relief and closed out the inning.

Evans would struggle in the fifth inning, loading the bases with one out. Honken took over for the final two thirds of the inning and it with no damage, striking out one and forcing a flyout.

Singles from Steen, Neumann, Peterson, Turner and Fennern highlighted a three-run sixth inning that allowed the Mustangs to take an 11-3 lead.

A four-run sixth inning from MSU allowed the Mavericks to avoid the eight-run rule and moved the game to an 11-7 contest. Heim reentered the game in the sixth and give up two runs—both unearned.

Both teams were scoreless in the final inning, giving SMSU its first conference win of the season.

The Mustangs will host Concordia University, St. Paul Wednesday in a 2 p.m. conference doubleheader.