MARSHALL, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State softball team (15-20 overall, 7-5 NSIC) rode stellar pitching for the second consecutive day to sweep MSU Moorhead (5-22, 2-10) 3-1 and 7-1 on Sunday afternoon at Mustang Field on the campus of Southwest Minnesota State University. 
 
This weekend marks the first time since 2019 that the Mustangs would sweep back-to-back home doubleheaders.
 
The Mustangs struck first in game one as Paige Shwaluk would send a two-out single in front of the left fielder to score Lileya Kebos and give SMSU a 1-0 lead.
 
MSUM evened the game at 1-1 with an RBI single in the third, but the Mustangs reclaimed the lead in the fifth inning, as Bailey Johnson would send a two-out double to right field before Jillian Noel single up the middle would drive her in and give SMSU the 2-1 advantage. 
 
Abby Russell added insurance in the sixth inning, scoring Patia Wolfe on a two-out single through the right side to give the Mustangs a 3-1 lead that would hold through the final inning. 
 
Shelby Bloemendaal (8-6) was steady yet again for the Mustangs, going the distance and giving up an earned run on five hits and no walks while tying a career-high with seven strikeouts on just 67 pitches. 
 
The Mustangs would record nine hits in game one, with Johnson and Noel each having a pair of hits. 
 
Noel picked up right where she left off in game two, sending a three-run shot over the right centerfield wall on her first swing of the game to score Russell and Johnson, lifting the Mustangs to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. 
 
 Noel continued her roll in the third inning, singling through the left side to score Emily Tatur and take a 4-0 lead.
 
The Mustangs tacked on another run in the third on a wild pitch to Molly Bull, pushing Johnson across, and Kebos would bust the game open with a two run double, scoring Noel and Bull and putting the Mustangs up 7-0. 
 
MSUM scored on an RBI single in the sixth inning, but it would not be enough to overcome the early deficit. 
 
Karlie Miller (6-9) would turn in another fantastic start in the circle, going five scoreless innings on three hits and two walks while striking out four hitters, and Allison Christians would throw the final two innings, giving up an earned run on two hits and a walk, striking out a pair. 
 
Noel led the offense with two of the seven Mustang hits, and Morgyn Otte would add her first career hit to the total. 
 
The Mustangs hit the road on Tuesday, traveling to Wayne, Neb., for a doubleheader with Wayne State starting at 1 p.m.