Photo by Jake McNeill: Southwest Minnesota State University pitcher Karlie Miller throws from the circle during a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference softball doubleheader against Augustana on Friday. SMSU played Wayne State in Nebraska on Tuesday, dropping both games of the doubleheader 9-1 and 4-1.

WAYNE, Neb. — The Southwest Minnesota State University softball team’s pitching and defense couldn’t keep the ball in the yard on Tuesday against Wayne State in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. The Mustangs surrendered four runs over the course of two games, falling 9-1 in five innings in the first and 4-1 in the second.

Karlie Miller and Morgyn Otte were each charged with losses on the day, dropping Miller to 9-7 and Otte to 7-6.

Shortstop Abby Russell was the only Mustang with multiple hits on the day, tallying one in the first game and two in the second. SMSU was held to five hits, none for extra bases, across the two games.

SMSU falls to 22-16 (4-8 NSIC) with the pair of losses, and will look to bounce back when it goes on the road for a doubleheader against St. Cloud State (25-11, 4-4 NSIC) on Saturday at 1 p.m.

SMSU 1

With two outs in the top of the first, Abby Boxrud was hit by a pitch and scored on a Wayne State throwing error on an Emma Humpal grounder. SMSU’s 1-0 lead was short-lived, however, as Lillie Timm hit a three-run homer to center field in the bottom of the frame to give SMSU a lead that it carried to the end of the game.

Of the nine runs Miller allowed over four innings pitched, eight of them were earned. She also walked three batters without a strikeout and surrendered 11 hits. 

Miller also pitched the fifth inning for SMSU but did not get an out while allowing five runs to score to trigger the mercy rule. 

Consecutive doubles by Timm and Kennadi Borngrebe pushed one run across the plate for Wayne State in the fifth inning and a two-run homer from Hayley Murphy brought Wayne State’s lead to 7-1.

Maddie Scobee walked, advanced to third on a Mary Krystofiak double and scored on a Taylor Coleman single. Leah Chance then reached base on a fielding error by SMSU second baseman Lexi Ingalls and Krystofiak scored the clinching run on the play, ending the game with Wayne State holding an eight-run lead.

Russell led SMSU at the plate with a single and a walk while Humpal and Riley Kramolisch each also singled. 

Borngrebe made the score 4-1 in favor of the Wildcats when she reached base on a fielder’s choice and a throwing error by Ingalls scored Chance.

Borngrebe improved to 12-5 with the complete-game win for Wayne State, holding SMSU to one unearned run on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Timm tallied two hits with three RBIs for Wayne State in the game while Murphy finished with three hits for two RBIs. Krystofiak and Chance each also finished with a pair of hits while Jordyn Klein earned a pair of walks.

GAME 2

SMSU 1

Lauren Laudick gave Wayne State a hot start in the second game when she followed a Krystofiak single with a two-run homer to left-center field in the second inning. Emilee Marth also hit a sacrifice fly to score Jordyn Rochholz later in the frame, making the score 3-0 in favor of the Wildcats.

Otte allowed four earned runs on six hits and a pair of walks over four innings for SMSU. In relief, Jordyn Marsh pitched two perfect innings. Marsh and Otte each struck out three batters in the game.

SMSU got on the board in the top of the fourth when consecutive singles from Boxrud and Russell put runners on the corners and, with two outs, Grace Anderson singled to drive in Russell, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Still, that was the last offensive production SMSU got on the day.

Wayne State answered SMSU with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame, coming on a solo shot to center field by Rochholz.

Russell singled twice in the game while Kayle Hafermann walked twice. For the Wildcats, Klein had a pair of singles, Laudick had a single and two RBIs and Rochholz logged a single and a walk.

Coleman improved to 4-2 on the season with a complete-game effort in the circle for Wayne State. She struck out eight Mustangs while giving up one earned run on five hits and a pair of walks.