ST. CLOUD – The Southwest Minnesota State softball team was held in check on Friday afternoon by strong St. Cloud State pitching as the Huskies earned a non-conference doubleheader sweep over the Mustangs inside the Husky Dome.

SMSU was limited to three hits in losing game one, 7-3, then was held to a pair of hits in game two with SCSU winning 6-0.

SMSU drops to 7-5 overall, while SCSU remains unbeaten at 10-0.

In the opener, SCSU pitcher Sydney LaPoint was dominate as she allowed just three hits and recorded 10 strikeouts in the complete game victory. She allowed just one SMSU batter to reach base in the first six innings.

The Huskies started game one with a big first inning putting together five hits and taking advantage of a Mustang error to plate four runs with three unearned.

SCSU added to the lead with a pair of runs in the third to make the score 6-0.

SMSU finally broke through in the fourth as Kali Tomlinson drilled a solo home run for the Mustangs’ first baserunner of the game. It was Tomlinson’s 21st career home run moving her into sole possession of fourth place in team history.

Trailing 7-1 in the seventh, Tomlinson singled and moved to third on a double by Jillian Noel. With two outs, Madison Krog reached on a fielding error allowing by Tomlinson and Noel to score and cut the deficit to 7-3, but a strikeout ended the rally and the comeback attempt.

Tory Villotta (0-1), making her first appearance in a Mustang uniform, started in the circle and tossed three innings. She allowed six runs (three earned) on seven hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Allison Christians pitched the final three innings and allowed one unearned run on three hits with four walks and one strikeout.

In game two, SCSU’s Kylie Thomsen fired a two-hit shutout with four strikeouts and no walks. Bailey Johnson collected a hit in the first inning for SMSU, while Lileya Kebos started the second inning with a single, but Thomsen was dominate after that retiring the final 18 batters in improving to 4-0.

Shelby Bloemendaal (2-2) started in the circle for the Mustangs and fired five innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on 13 hits with four strikeouts and one walk.

Southwest Minnesota State will return to action with its final two non-conference games of the regular season next Friday, March 19, taking on UMary inside the Presentation College Dome in Aberdeen, S.D.

— Content courtesy

of SMSU Athletic

Communications