MANKATO, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris softball team finished the regular season on Saturday with a 6-0 loss to the University of Northwestern. Due to the persistent rain in the area, the game with North Central University that was on the schedule to start the day was canceled. The Cougars head into the UMAC Tournament with an overall record of 12-21 and a 9-11 mark in the UMAC.

Northwestern collected a pair of runs on three hits and a Cougar error in the bottom of the first to take the early lead. Minnesota Morris left a runner stranded in each of the first three innings before going down in order in the fourth. The Eagles then added onto their lead in the bottom of the fourth with a two-out RBI triple from Briggs Carlson to take a 3-0 edge. 

A lead-off double from Anna Briggs to start the fifth inning gave Minnesota Morris a chance of breaking into the scoring column, but Carlson sat down the next three hitters to continue the shutout. Northwestern pulled away with a three-run bottom of the sixth, keyed once again by a Carlson RBI hit.

Tori Nichols-Kraft was 2-for-3 in the game for Minnesota Morris. Abby Wothe threw the first 4.0 innings and took the loss for the Cougars after giving up three runs (one earned). Adrianna Johnson threw the final 2.0 innings. 

Minnesota Morris is locked into the No. 4 seed in the UMAC Tournament starting on Thursday afternoon. The Cougar opponent and the location of the tournament is still to be determined pending the outcome of a three-game series between Northwestern and Crown College to be played over the next two days.