Photo by Samantha Davis: Southwest Minnesota State University's Emma Humpal (right) fields a ground ball and flips the ball up to Lexi Ingalls (12) for an out at second base in the first game of a doubleheader against Bemidji State Saturday afternoon at Mustang Field.

MARSHALL — The Southwest Minnesota State University softball team extended its strong start to Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play after sweeping this weekend in its home opener at Mustang Field. The Mustangs used the 35-mile per hour winds to their advantage on Saturday against Bemidji State with a 10-2 mercy-rule win in the first game and an 8-1 victory in the second, and did the same on Sunday with two shutouts, 1-0 and 9-0, against Minnesota Duluth.

“It feels good. Today [Saturday] was our Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day, so we had a good crowd with our home opener,” senior outfielder Riley Kramolisch said. “We obviously kind of had the wind to our advantage, because we [are used] to playing out on this field, which was nice, but everyone was excited and happy.”

Freshman Ramsey Hopp pitched a complete game in the first game of each doubleheader. She allowed six hits and two runs on one walk and no strikeouts on Saturday, and got the shutout victory on Sunday with seven strikeouts and no walks, allowing just two hits.

Jordyn Marsh got the win in the second game on Saturday in her five innings pitched, throwing one strikeout while allowing four hits and one run. Jordan Bussey finished off the day with six strikeouts while allowing one hit and two walks in her two innings in the circle. In Sunday’s second game, a five-inning mercy-rule win, Marsh tossed all five innings with a pair of strikeouts, allowing one walk and five hits.

Marsh also hit the game-winning home run in Sunday’s first game against UMD.

With the four weekend wins, SMSU starts NSIC play 7-1, with its lone loss so far coming against Minnesota Crookston in extra innings 4-3 on March. 21.

“We will definitely use this [weekend], and we always try to think with the ‘next-game mentality,” Kramolisch said. “Obviously, it’s good when you have a few wins under your belt, with the mojo and energy of the games, and we are very much a team that has fun … When we are up and we’re working [hard] and we’re having fun, we do a lot better.”

The Mustangs will return back to the diamond on Friday back at Mustang Field for two games against Winona State (27-4, 6-0). The first game will start at 1 p.m., with the second to follow.

SMSU 10, Bemidji 2 (6 inn.)

The Mustangs’ defense was quick to get to business to open the afternoon with three quick outs in the top of the first, and carried the momentum the rest of the way.

SMSU pulled ahead and brought the game close to mercy-rule territory in the bottom of the fifth inning with five runs on five hits to take a 9-2 lead.

“I think we did good. This week, we really practiced hitting the ball on the ground, and I think that really showed offensively,” Kramolisch said. “We did a really good job of stacking hits upon each other, and when we do that, we are really successful. I think everyone’s energy kept the vibe going.”

Van Dyke, Acker, Morgan Alar, Hopp and Lexi Ingalls each accounted for a run in the fifth-inning rally, highlighted by an RBI triple from Ingalls.

With a 4-2 lead heading up to bat, Van Dyke got the bats going with a line-drive single to left field, and got to third with an Acker single and Emma Humpal sacrifice bunt.

Van Dyke scored off Marsh’s RBI single to center field to force a Beavers’ pitching change. Alar stepped in to pinch run for Marsh.

Acker and Alar both scored next, with one out, off a Hopp two-run RBI double to deep center field.

Just as SMSU’s hitting was getting contagious, Ingalls stepped up to the plate and hit a triple to right field to drive in Hopp. Ingalls capitalized off a Bemidji throwing error to run home herself on the same play to give the Mustangs the seven-run edge before the Beavers could finish the final two outs.

After another three quick outs on defense, SMSU wrapped up the first game in the bottom of the sixth with a Humpal RBI single to score Van Dyke.

The Mustangs first got on the board with a run in the second inning and two more in the third, as Bemidji’s lone two runs both came in the top of the fourth.

SMSU had several offensive contributors in the win. Van Dyke had a team-high three hits and trio of runs, and Hopp led the charge with three RBIs.

The Mustangs out-hit the Beavers 12-6, and committed one error to Bemidji’s two.

“We were able to practice out here [in the field] three days this week, and I think that really helped,” Kramolisch said. “We worked, we were out here for three hours really working ground balls. Being in the dirt again, wearing cleats again, is a big difference. Last weekend we played on turf, so really we were keeping our head down and just getting as many reps as possible.”

GAME 2

SMSU 8, Bemidji 1

Bussey’s efficient pitching highlighted the Mustangs’ second win in the final two innings, throwing five straight strikeouts to end the game with two in the bottom of the sixth followed up with three straight in the seventh.

Although Bemidji took the game’s first lead with a run in the top of the second inning off an RBI double, SMSU didn’t allow its deficit to last long and ran in two runs in the bottom of the frame to get in front.

Marsh hit an RBI single line drive to left field to score Humpal, while Ingalls did just the same for Marsh’s pinch runner, Alar, shortly after.

The Mustangs also had a series of impressive defensive plays throughout both games, including a throw-down from catcher Ava Rud in the third inning to Humpal at second base on a Bemidji runner attempting to steal.

“Defensively, everyone on the team has that ‘next pitch’ mentality. Like if we [over] threw the ball, or if they get a hit in the gap, [it’s always] that next pitch. We can get the runner out … Softball is a game of failure, so we really [share] that mentality,” Kramolisch said.

SMSU ultimately put the game away with six runs in the fourth inning off five hits for an 8-1 lead, becoming the final score.

Marsh was walked to open the half-inning, and advanced to second and third off a Hopp sacrifice bunt and wild pitch, respectively. She scored directly after an Ingalls’ hit.

The Mustangs scored their remaining five runs all with two outs, not letting the defensive pressure halt their momentum.

Kennah Bretschneider and Carley Stych scored on a Kramolisch single, while Kramolisch, Van Dyke and Acker all rounded the bases as well to score. Both Van Dyke and Acker each had an RBI double.

Although Bemidji got the bases loaded in the top of the sixth, Bussey threw back-to-back strikeouts to prevent a possible comeback attempt, and finished the deal in the final inning with three straight.

SMSU had a clean game with no errors to the Beavers’ two, and finished with a 12-5 hitting advantage.

Acker, Kramolisch and Ingalls all shared a team-best two hits, as did Ingalls and Kramolisch with a pair of RBIs each in the win.

Kramolisch, SMSU’s lone senior this season, also became just the eighth player in program history to achieve 200 career hits last Friday in a win against Minnesota State University Moorhead.

“It was awesome. I didn’t really know I was that close to 200. I knew when we were in Florida, I was kind of getting there, but I was really excited,” Kramolisch said of the accomplishment. “Offense is my favorite part of the game, and it’s fun to do it with this team.”

SUNDAY

SMSU 1, UMD 0

In a competitive battle to start Sunday against the Bulldogs that saw just five combined hits, SMSU got the win with a Marsh home run out to right field in the second inning for the game’s only scored run.

Hopp helped hold UMD off the rest of the way behind her stellar pitching, while UMD’s Emmie Sylvia Cochran also pitched the entire game.

SMSU had three hits, one each from Marsh, Kramolisch and Hopp, while UMD had two hits.

It was also a relatively clean game for both teams, with the Mustangs committing the game’s only error.

GAME 2

SMSU 9, UMD 0 (5 inn.)

Different from the first, SMSU was quick to take control of the second game with a five-run second inning that eventually led to the Mustangs’ second mercy-rule victory of the weekend. The Mustangs also scored another trio of runs in the bottom of the fourth.

Acker, Bretschneider and Humpal led the offense with two hits a piece, as did Van Dyke and Acker with a pair of RBIs. Ingalls had the game’s biggest hit with a triple in the third inning to right field.

Van Dyke got the rally started in the second innings with a two-run RBI off a single, scoring Bretschneide and Hopp. Kramolisch and Van Dyke then both scored in the next at-bat off Acker’s double, while Marsh singled to center field to run in Acker to put the Mustangs ahead 5-0.

SMSU had nine hits in the win and held UMD to five. The Bulldogs also struggled with errors, giving up four, while the Mustangs had a clean slate.