ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State softball team opened the 2026 season 1-1 on Friday afternoon, earning a 10-4 non-conference victory over Concordia-St. Paul, before falling to tournament hosts St. Cloud State in eight innings 3-2 inside the Husky Dome in day one of the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament.

SMSU vs. Concordia-St. Paul
 
SMSU cracked out 12 hits in the victory with Grace Anderson finishing 3 for 5 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Carley Stych and Kennah Bretschneider each collected two hits with Stych finishing with two RBIs.
 
Jordyn Marsh (1-0) tossed the complete game scattering nine hits, while allowing four earned runs with five strikeouts and three walks.
 
SMSU opened the scoring in the top of the second with Stych delivering a two-out, two-run RBI single.
 
SMSU held a 3-1 advantage in the top of the third before CSP rallied to take a 4-3 lead with a three-run third.
 
SMSU answered back with a big three-run fourth behind an RBI single by Anderson and a two-run double by Emma Humpal to regain the lead at 6-4.
 
The Mustangs put the game away in the sixth with Kaylee Hafermann scoring on a wild pitch before Lexi Ingalls drove home a run with an RBI gound out and Bretschneider followed with an RBI single to extend the margin to 9-4. SMSU would add an unearned run in the seventh.
 
CSP (1-1) closed the game with nine hits.
 
SMSU vs. St. Cloud State 

SMSU fell in extra innings to St. Cloud in the Mustangs' second game of the evening on Friday 3-2 after eight innings.
 
The Mustangs managed eight hits with Ava Rud providing the lone RBI of the evening.
 
Freshman Ramsey Hopp, making her debut on the mound, went 7 1/3 innings giving up 10 hits and three runs (two earned) with six walks and one strikeout.
 
Hopp opened the scoring in the top of the first inning scoring on a wild pitch before the Huskies added two runs in the bottom of the first.
 
The score remained at 2-1 in favor of SCSU until the sixth inning when Ava Rud grounded out to second base, allowing Kaylee Hafermann to score.
 
SCSU won the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, scoring on a walk-off single with the bases loaded.
 
The Huskies (2-0) had ten hits in the game with three extra base hits.
 
SMSU faces off with Bemidji State and a rematch with Concordia-St. Paul tomorrow at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Both games will be streaming live on the NSIC Network.