DULUTH, Minn.- Southwest Minnesota State (18-20, 9-13) earned its fourth shutout of the year with a 2-0 win over Minnesota Duluth (31-15, 15-7 NSIC) in game one but ended the doubleheader in a split after the Bulldogs came back with a 3-2 victory in game two on Saturday afternoon.
Game 1 Box Score
Game 1 Recap
Alex O'Connor gave up just five hits and struck out seven in a complete game shutout as SMSU won game one over Minnesota Duluth, 2-0.
O'Connor, who leads the Mustangs with a 2.80 earned run average, pitched her third shutout of the year from the circle for the Mustangs.
Abbie Decker went 1 for 2 on the afternoon while scoring the first run for SMSU while
Emma Grote was 1 for 3 with the Mustangs' other scored.
Madison Krog went 2 for 3 with the game's only RBI in the decisive sixth inning.
Both teams were scoreless through five innings as the two dugouts combined for zero runs and just five hits through five.
Abbie Decker led off the top of the sixth with a double and later came around to break the deadlock by scoring as
Taylor Koloc attempted to steal second.
SMSU doubled its lead to 2-0 when
Madison Krog singled to score
Emma Grote who had initially reached base on a bunt single.
Holding on to the same 2-0 lead, O'Connor faced a bases loaded situation in the bottom of the seventh with just one out after two singles and a walk. O'Connor finished off her complete game victory however with two pop ups to end the game.
Game 2 Box Score
Game 2 Recap
Southwest Minnesota State narrowly dropped game two as Minnesota Duluth's three runs in the game's first three innings proved to be enough to give the Bulldogs a 3-2 win on Saturday afternoon.
Madison Krog went 2 for 3 with an RBI for the second straight game while
Sam Flack was 1 for 3 with the team's one other RBI in game two.
Shelby Crank suffered the loss after surrendering the three earned runs from Minnesota Duluth in three innings.
Athena Golling came in to pitch the other three defensive innings for SMSU and gave up no runs with just three hits allowed.
SMSU came out strong on offense with one run on three hits in the top of the first inning. Flack got the scoring started for SMSU with a third straight single from the Mustangs' that scored
Karmann Carroll who had hit the first.
UMD tied the game in the bottom of the first with a single and an RBI double to lead off the game. The Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead with a two-out single in the second. Minnesota Duluth doubled its lead to 3-1 with a solo homer to lead off the third.
Madison Krog doubled to right center in the top of the fifth which brought
Emma Grote around to score from first.
SMSU managed just one hit in the final two innings however as UMD won game two, 3-2 to earn the split.
The split keeps Minnesota Duluth, who was ranked ninth in the latest Central Region rankings, in fourth position in the NSIC while SMSU remains tied for 11th, three games out of being positioned for a place in the conference tournament.
The Mustangs will now play at St. Cloud State tomorrow beginning at 1 p.m.
