St. Cloud State University

Softball

Softball vs. Bemidi State/Southwest Minnesota: SCSU 2, BSU 0 / SCSU 6, SMSU 5

SOFTBALL: Huskies Rally Past Mustangs, Sweep Final Day of Invite

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Sarah Stalker had three hits, including her second homerun of the season as the Huskies won twice today (Mar. 1) and closed the Husky Dome Invite with a 2-1 mark.

St. Cloud, Minn. – A sixth inning rally propelled the St. Cloud State softball team to a 6-5 come-from-behind win over defending NSIC Champion Southwest Minnesota.  The win over SMSU capped a sweep for the Huskies in the today’s (Mar. 1) action, that included an earlier 2-0 win over Bemidji State.

Playing in the final two games of the fifth annual Husky Dome Invite, SCSU was able close the weekend on a high note, going 2-1 in their three Invite games.  Each game was counted as a non-conference contest. 

Southwest Minnesota (4-6) entered their game with St. Cloud State (6-13) as winners of their last two, by combined scores of 25-0.  Kaity Strever (Laurel, Mont.) started the game in the circle for the Huskies, and kept the potent Mustang offense in check for over five innings before leaving a tie game with one out in the sixth. 

The Huskies gave their starter run support early, scoring a run each in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings.  With a 4-1 lead in the sixth, things unraveled a bit for the Huskies.  After retiring the first batter, Strever gave up a single and a walk to put two runners on for the Mustangs Christine Borowiak.  Borowiak then hit a game-tying home run over the left field fence to knot the score at 4-4. 

Brit Krieg (Hudson, Wis.) then came in to pitch for the Huskies and allowed one more run before getting out of the inning. 

Undaunted, the Huskies answered right back in the home half of the sixth, beginning with a leadoff single by Sarah Stalker (Hudson, Wis.).  A sacrifice by Lizzy Dwyer (Kalispel, Mont.) moved Stalker over to second, before Melanie Upchurch (Waterloo, Iowa) drove her home with her second triple of the day, tying the game at 5-5. 

With Upchurch on third, Emily Edgerton (Wausau, Wis.) hit the game-winning single to left field, allowing Upchurch to trot home to score the winning run. 

Krieg allowed a harmless single in a scoreless seventh to give the Huskies the 6-5 win, while earning her second win of the day.  The game’s losing pitcher was NSIC Preseason Pitcher of the year, Amanda Johnson.

Krieg earned her first win of the day just hours earlier when she went the distance in a 2-0 win over Bemidji State (0-4).  After throwing a no-hitter in a win on Feb. 27, Krieg nearly out-did herself today. 

The rookie faced the minimum through six full innings, but a leadoff single in the top of the seventh ruined her bid at a perfect game.  Still, once on first, the Beaver runner was stranded as Krieg retired the next three batters in order to give the Huskies the win. 

SCSU got on the board with a run apiece in the fifth and sixth, on RBI’s from Stalker and Sarah Nohrenberg (Cottage Grove, Minn.). 

With two wins, Krieg becomes the team leader sporting a 4-5 record, while Upchurch maintained her place among the team batting leaders with a 4-for-6 performance at the plate in the two games, including two RBI and two run scored. 

Stalker hit her team leading second home run of the season against SMSU, and finished with three hits on the day.  Rachel Haines (Pepin, Wis.), and Kelly Lass (Frankfort, Ill.), also finished with three hits. 

Winners of five of their last six, the Huskies must now prepare for their trip to Orlando, Florida and the Rebel Spring Games from Mar. 7-11.  In Orlando, the Huskies will play 10 games in five days, before returning to the Husky Dome on Mar. 14. 

Full results from the fifth annual Husky Dome Invite:

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