MANKATO, Minn. – Two hard fought games on Friday afternoon could not fall the Mustangs way, as the Southwest Minnesota State softball team (22-16, 8-4 NSIC) suffered two losses to the Winona State Warriors (31-4, 10-0 NSIC) 4-3 in game one and 10-4 in game two.
 
GAME ONE
 
Ramsey Hopp (8-10) pitched all seven innings for the Mustangs, allowing four earned runs on 11 hits, striking out a career-high 10 batters.
 
Freshman Aliza Acker led the Mustangs offensively with three hits, including one double. Emma Humpal, Hopp, and Jordyn Marsh had one RBI each for SMSU.
 
Winona State kicked off the scoring in the second inning with two runs from a fielders choice and a double by Alyssa Woelfel.
 
The Warriors added a third run in the next inning from a Braelee Jodarski double.
 
SMSU scored two runs in the fourth inning, with Emma Humpal hitting a sac fly to center field, and Hopp putting a single up the middle, allowing Acker to score from second.
 
Jordyn Marsh tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth with a single up the middle, while Acker scored her second run of the game.
 
The Warriors scored the winning run in the seventh inning courtesy of an Ashlee Chantos blooper down the left field line going over the head of Stych at third base.
 
Izzy Howe pitched the first 5 1/3 innings for WSU allowing two earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts. Ashley Thiesen (6-0) was credited with a win throwing 2/3 innings allowing one run on two hits. Jayda Berg earned her first save of the season in the seventh inning pitching one inning with two strikeouts. WSU had five players with two hits in the game, leaving 11 runners on base.
 
GAME TWO
 
Jordyn Marsh (14-4) allowed 10 earned runs on 13 hits striking out four Warrior batters.
 
Riley Kramolisch and Aliza Acker led the team with a pair of hits each. Paris Van Dyke and Ramsey Hopp provided the SMSU RBIs in the game.
 
WSU began game two in similar fashion as game one, scoring the first run in the second inning off a Whitley Wischmeier RBI base hit to center field.
 
The Mustangs took a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning off a Warriors error, which still gave credit to Ramsey Hopp for an RBI.
 
WSU took back the in the top of the fifth with a pair of RBI-doubles from Tiegan Mancuso  and Alyssa Woelful.
 
Paris Van Dyke put a single up the middle which allowed Stych to score the tying run in the bottom of the fifth. Van Dyke would score the last Mustang run in the game off a wild pitch.
 
The Warriors would score seven runs in the top of the sixth and seventh courtesy of a pair of RBI singles from Wischmeier, an RBI single from Tiegan Mancuso, and two 2-RBI singles from Alyssa Woelfel and Nicole Weinberger.
 
Jayda Berg started for WSU in game two pitching 4 1/3 innings allowing three earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts. Ashley Theisen earned her second win of the day pitching 2/3 innings in relief for Berg, and Izzy Howe earned her second save of the season.
 
The Mustangs return to action on Wednesday, Apr. 8 in Sioux Falls, facing the USF Cougars.