Photo by Sam Thiel SMSU’s Megan Cull winds up a pitch during their game against Wayne State on Thursday. SMSU defeated WSC 3-0 in Game 1 and 8-0 in Game 2.

MARSHALL — Southwest Minnesota State’s Megan Cull, Shelby Bloemendaal, and Allison Christians combined to toss 13 shutout innings with Cull tossing a two-hit shutout in the opener, to lead SMSU to a 3-0 and 8-0 sweep over Wayne State on Thursday in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference softball at Mustang Field.

Bloemendaal fired four shutout innings in game two with Christians closing the game with a pair of shutout innings as SMSU won via run-rule in six innings.

The Mustangs improve to 20-12 overall, 11-7 NSIC and puts SMSU one game behind Northern State for fifth place in the standings. The Wildcats drop to 4-26 overall, 1-17 NSIC.

In game one, Cull (10-3) would throw her second shutout and sixth complete game of the season, recording four strikeouts and walking none.

The Mustangs would get on the board in the second inning with Jillian Noel scoring on a wild pitch. Patia Wolfe would later ground out to shortstop to bring home Lileya Kebos putting the Mustangs up 2-0.

The Mustangs wouldn’t score again until the bottom of the fourth where Wolfe would earn the first of her two hits on the day to bring Noel home, increasing SMSU’s lead to 3-0.

SMSU would total four hits in game one with Wolfe recording two. Noel would be responsible for two of the three runs scored with Kebos scoring one.

In game two, Bloemendaal recorded four strikeouts and allowed five hits improving to 6-5.

The Mustangs took no time getting on the board, with Tomlinson scoring on a wild pitch in the first inning. Kaylee Hentges followed with a two-run single bringing home both Kebos and Noel, putting SMSU up 3-0.

SMSU would find a grove in the third inning where Noel would a double down the right field line and Kebos would reach on a bad throw to first that would allow Noel to come home and score. Wolfe would continue her hitting success with a single bringing home Kebos and would be followed by Hentges scoring on an error to put the Mustangs ahead 6-0.

SMSU would add to the lead in the fourth on a Kebos single scoring pinch-runner Makenna Waldow to push the lead to 7-0.

SMSU wouldn’t score again till the bottom of the sixth where Kali Tomlinson would hit a walk off home run and end the game with her ninth home run of the season.

SMSU would total 10 hits in game two with Johnson, Tomlinson, and Hentges all recording two hits with Hentges finishing with two RBIs.

SMSU will continue its homestand taking on Minot State on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. and playing University of Mary on Sunday at noon.

— Content courtesy

of SMSU Athletic

Communications