ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris softball team split its doubleheader with Concordia College-Moorhead on Saturday at the St. Cloud State Dome to move to 1-3 overall on the season. After a tough 1-0 loss to start the day, the Cougars dominated the second game behind the pitching of Skyla Bristol. Bristol celebrated her first collegiate start by throwing a no-hitter and striking out 15 Cobbers in six innings to help Minnesota Morris nab a 13-1 victory.

The Cougars are now off from competition until they make their way to South Carolina for Spring Break. The first two games of their trip will come on March 10 against Stevenson University and Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham.

Game 1: Concordia 1, Minnesota Morris 0
Alyssa Thornton (0-1) came up on the wrong side of the pitching decision despite throwing a complete game and striking out five. Karissa Finnigan was equally dominant for Concordia as both pitchers allowed only six hits to their opposition in the contest. 

The difference in the contest came in the top of the second inning. Gabby Brown worked a one-out walk and pinch-runner Rosie Unglaub stole second. With two down in the frame, a Kate Gulbrandon base hit drove in Unglaub from second to put Concordia ahead, 1-0. 

The biggest Cougar threat came in the bottom of the third when a Concordia error kept the inning alive and Thornton singled to put two runners aboard with two outs. Finnigan was able to escape unscathed to keep the one-run lead intact and Minnesota Morris would go down in order in two of the final four innings.

Thornton was the top hitter for UMN Morris in the game, going 3-for-3.

Game 2: Minnesota Morris 13, Concordia 1 (6 innings)
A run scored by the Cougars within the first three hitters of the game would turn out to be almost all the help Bristol needed in her first collegiate start. Sierra Stevens led off with a single and a Cobber error when Thornton laid down a sac bunt put two aboard. Though Bristol would strike out for the first out of the inning, a double steal from the Cougars on the corners allowed Stevens to score to make it 1-0.

From there, Bristol took over and struck out the first five Cobber hitters she faced before issuing a walk. She struck out the side again in the fourth inning, shortly after a three-run Cougar top half that featured RBIs from Anna Athey, Kendra Schmitz, and Bristol to increase the lead to 4-0. 

Minnesota Morris put up three more runs in the top of the fifth, stringing together a rally with two down and no one on. An Olivia Diver walk got things going and Sophie Diver kept the inning alive before Athey hit a double to drive in pinch-runner Athena Grimley. Stevens followed with a double that plated Athey and Sophie Diver before she was tagged out trying to stretch her hit to third base. 

The Cobbers got their one run in the bottom of the fifth after the lead-off hitter reached and went to second base on an error before going to third on a wild pitch and scoring on a RBI groundout.

Still in command at 7-1, Minnesota Morris put the game away with six runs in the top of the sixth. RBIs came from Bristol, Grimley, Athey, Anna Baumann, and Schmitz to push the game out of reach. Though another error put a runner aboard against Bristol in the bottom half of the inning, she struck out the side yet again to finish with 15 Ks in the game.

Stevens and Athey each finished with three hits in the game to pace the Cougar offense, while Schmitz and Bristol added two apiece.