NSU Box Score
MSU Box Score

ROCHESTER, Minn. – No. 2 seed Minnesota State had three pitchers combine on a four-hit shutout to defeat No. 7 seed Southwest Minnesota State 6-0 in the quarterfinals of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Softball Tournament on Thursday afternoon at the RYFSA Complex.
 
SMSU (27-19), which earlier in the day defeated No. 10 seed Northern State 4-1, will now drop to the losers' bracket and take on No. 3 seed Winona State on Friday starting at 10 a.m.
 
MSU (35-7), ranked No. 17 in this week's NFCA Top 25 poll, defeated SMSU for the third time in the last five days. The Mavericks scored two runs in the second and then used a three-run home run in the third, to build a 5-0 lead and never looked back.
 
SMSU was held without a baserunner for the first two innings before Kaylee Hentges led-off the third inning with a single. Kali Tomlinson also singled for SMSU in the fourth inning but a double play quickly ended the Mustang scoring threat.
 
MSU starting pitcher Mackenzie Ward tossed the first five innings and struck out eight and allowed just the two hits in earning the victory for the Mavericks.  
 
Madysson Schliinz had an infield single for the Mustangs in the sixth, while Tomlinson had a bunt single in the seventh.
 
Shelby Bloemendaal (9-8) started in the circle for the Mustangs and pitched three innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Megan Cull pitched the final three innings and allowed one run on four hits with one strikeout.
 
In SMSU's first game on Thursday morning, Bloemendaal held a shutout until the seventh inning in tossing her team-leading 11 complete game of the season.
 
SMSU had six hits in the win with Jillian Noel leading the way with two. Emma Grote, Madison Krog, Hentges and Makenna Waldow each had one hit for the Mustangs.
 
SMSU opened the scoring in the home half of the first as Grote reached on a one-out infield single and scored moments later as Tomlinson ripped a ground ball that was misplayed by the NSU shortstop to allow Grote to score all the way from first.
 
SMSU added to the lead in the second with Noel ripping a lead-off single. Pinch runner Lauren Klein moved to second on a passed ball and moments later advanced to third on a sac bunt by Hentges. With two outs, SMSU took advantage of another NSU miscue as Klein sprinted home on passed ball to give the Mustangs a 2-0 lead.
 
The score remained 2-0 until the sixth when the Mustangs added big insurance runs. Krog started the rally with a double and was replaced at second by pinch-runner Molly Bull. Lileya Kebos followed with a perfect sac bunt and on the play the throw got away from the NSU first baseman to allow Kebos to reach and score Bull. After a ground out moved Kebos to second, Hentges ripped a run-scoring double to right field to push the advantage to 4-0.
 
NSU (22-19), which left a runner on base in six of seven innings, finally broke through with a run in the seventh on a lead-off double and RBI single, but Bloemendaal retired the next three batters to secure the victory.
 
Southwest Minnesota State and Winona State will be meeting on Friday morning for the fifth time this season with WSU winning two games on Feb. 19 and two more in Marshall on April 11. SMSU will be looking to snap a 29-game losing streak to WSU dating back to April 25, 2009.