Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box
MARSHALL, Minn. — The Southwest Minnesota State softball team rallied back against Upper Iowa to win game one, 4-3 in NSIC softball Saturday afternoon. The Mustang dropped game two, 4-1 to recorded the split.
SMSU is 16-20 overall and 12-16 in the NSIC, while Upper Iowa is 34-14 overall and 20-6 in the conference.
Alex O'Connor (9-14) went the distance for the Mustangs in the circle striking out two batters, while giving up seven hits and three runs.
SMSU tallied four hits in the game, all by four different players.
Taylor Koloc led the offense with a pair of RBIs, while
Jazmyne Neely drove in a run too.
Upper Iowa started in full control in game one, as it jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first 3 1/2 frames. SMSU would not give up, as it scored on a double steal in the bottom of the fourth to get on the board. SMSU wouldn't stop there, as Koloc jacked her seventh home run of the season with a two-run bomb to right center to tie the game up 3-all in the fifth. The Mustangs scored the winning run in the sixth inning after Neely reached on a fielder's choice and
Taylor Chavez was safe at the plate.
In game two,
Athena Golling (6-8) hurled the complete game giving up four runs (three earned) on 10 hits, while striking out one.
SMSU recorded three hits and left four stranded, as
Jordyn Goldschmidt notched her first hit of her career.
Mackenzie Clouse and Koloc tallied the other two hits.
The Peacocks struck first again in the opening frame to take a 1-0 lead. Koloc tied the game after scoring in the bottom half of the inning, following
Karmann Carroll reaching on a fielder's choice. That was all the Mustangs would get, as the Peacocks scored a pair of runs in the fourth to lead 3-1 before adding an insurance run in the sixth to record the split.
SMSU currently sits in 10th place in the NSIC standings and is a game ahead of St. Cloud State and U-Mary.
SMSU will need to record a split or sweep against Winona State in the regular season finale to secure a top-10 spot in the conference and to make the tournament. St. Cloud State will face Minot State tomorrow, while U-Mary finished its season today.
Southwest Minnesota State will close the regular season hosting Winona State tomorrow at noon.
