Game 1
Game 2
MARSHALL, Minn. — The Southwest Minnesota State softball team earned its first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference wins with a series sweep over MSU Moorhead with a 2-0 victory in game one followed by a 8-0 win in game two on Sunday.
Alex O'Connor struck out 17 batters in the doubleheader to earn the sweep that marks the Mustangs' 18th and 19th consecutive wins over the Dragons and eighth straight home win against MSUM.
In the first game, both teams were held scoreless through five innings despite each team leaving five batters on base.
Kailey Hanson broke the drought in the bottom of the sixth after she tripled to right field, which scored
Madisson Chadwick, but a throwing error by the fielder scored Hanson to give the Mustangs a 2-0 lead.
Alex O'Connor and the rest of the Mustang defense shut the Dragons down in the top of the seventh with a 1-2-3 inning to seal the game.
O'Connor was on target as she struck out a season-high 11 batters and recorded her first shutout of the season to improve her record to 8-6.
Katelyn Kalkman and Hanson led the Mustangs' offense finishing 2 for 3 with Hanson recording the lone RBI.
Alysse Luttmann finished 1 for 1 with a walk in the win.
In the second game of the matinee, the Mustangs started off strong with five runs in the first inning that was keyed from a Chadwick double to left field that scored Kalman.
Jazmyne Neely continued the scoring with a single to score Chadwick and moved into scoring position on the play.
Taylor Koloc singled down the left field line, which scored both Neely and Hanson before she crossed home on a wild pitch to give the Mustangs a 5-0 start.
Koloc put some excitement in the game as she blasted her first homerun at SMSU to left field that also scored Neely.
Mackenzie Clouse made an appearance in the fourth inning for her third plate appearance of her career and she made it count, as the freshman joined the homerun club with her first collegiate homerun over the left field fence to give the Mustangs an 8-0 lead.
The Mustang defense held strong as they kept the Dragons off the board to earn the shutout sweep.
Koloc finished with four RBIs on 2 of 3 hitting with two runs scored and a home run. Neely had a solid outing at the plate finishing 2 for 2 with two runs scored and an RBI. Chadwick finished 1 for 2 with a run scored and an RBI. Clouse was 1 of 1 with a home run.
O'Connor pitched the five inning game with six strikeouts and walked just two batters. The sophomore gave up six hits in her second shutout of the season while improving her record to 9-6 and carrying a 2.87 ERA.
The Mustangs improve to 13-11 overall and 2-2 in the NSIC. Southwest Minnesota State will host Concordia-St. Paul on Tuesday at 2 p.m. followed by a non-conference doubleheader against DI South Dakota State on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
