Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State softball team closed out the regular season on Sunday losing a pair of games to regionally-ranked St. Cloud State at Selke Field. SMSU dropped game one by a score of 7-2, before losing a heart-breaking 4-2 walk-off loss in game two.
 
Despite the two losses, SMSU has secured a spot in the upcoming Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament set for May 2-4 at the RYFSA Complex in Rochester, Minn. The Mustangs will be making their fifth straight NSIC Tournament appearance. The official NSIC Tournament bracket will be released on Sunday night.
 
After earning a big split on Saturday at Minnesota Duluth, which is ranked No. 7 in this week's NCAA Central Region poll, the Mustangs faced another test on Sunday versus the No. 9 ranked Huskies.
 
In the opener on Sunday, the teams were tied 2-2 in the fifth inning, but SCSU pulled away for the win behind a two-run home run in the fifth and a three-run homer in the sixth.
 
SMSU, which finished the regular season with a record of 18-24 overall, 13-17 NSIC, opened the scoring in the top of the first as Emma Grote singled, moved to second on a sac bunt by Kaylee Hentges and eventually scored on an Abbie Decker RBI single.
 
SCSU (40-14, 22-8 NSIC) would hold a 2-1 lead after four innings of play, but SMSU would rally to tie the game in the fifth behing a two-out rally. Following a ground out and a strikeout, Kali Tomlinson singled, moved to third on a double by Decker and would eventually score as Alex Reak reached on a fielding error by the SCSU second baseman.
 
The Huskies, which finished with a 14-7 hit advantage, the used the two home runs to secure the victory.
 
Decker had big opening game finishing 3 for 3 with an RBI while Grote, Hentges, Tomlinson and Reak each finished with one hit.
 
Athena Golling (10-11) fired all six innings in the circle for the Mustangs recording four strikeouts with no walks.
 
In game two, the Mustangs once again got on the board in the opening frame as Tomlinson belted a two-run homer to stake SMSU to a 2-0 advantage. It was Tomlinson's team-leading sixth homer of the season and the 13^th in her career moving into tie for eighth in team history.
 
SCSU would tie the game with a pair of runs in the third and the game would remain tied until extra innings. Following a two-out double, Morgan Emmans cracked a two-run homer over the centerfield fence to give the Huskies the walk-off victory.
 
Megan Cull (5-9) suffered the loss for SMSU tossing the complete game giving up four furns (two earned) while allowing six hits with four strikeouts and one walk.
 
Tomlinson led SMSU's seven-hit offense in game two going 2 for 3 with two RBIs and a run scored.