ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris softball team rode the impressive pitching and hitting of Skyla Bristol to an 8-1 win at Crown College on Monday in the opener of a three-game set. The Cougars improve to 14-9 (4-0 UMAC) with the victory.

Minnesota Morris jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Sierra Stevens drew a lead-off walk, went to second on a record-breaking stolen base, and eventually came home on a RBI double from Bristol. Stevens' 39 stolen bases in her career give her the Cougar record in the category.

Bristol's domination of Crown batters began in the bottom of the first as the first-year pitcher struck out the side. Two more Polar hitters went down on strikes in the second.

The Cougars doubled their lead in the third inning with Stevens again pressuring the Crown defense from the top of the order. A lead-off single and another stolen base later in the frame took Stevens to third. Bristol brought her home with a RBI groundout to make it 2-0.

Bristol whiffed two more in the third and then struck out the side in the fourth to bring her total to 10 for the game.  

Following a one-out walk from Anna Baumann and an Alice Wilkinson single, Bristol recorded another RBI on a single to increase the Cougar lead to 3-0. Tori Nichols followed with a RBI single and a third RBI single of the frame from Alyssa Thornton increased the margin to 5-0.

Crown's only run of the game came in the bottom of t.he fifth on a one-out walk, a wild pitch, and a RBI single to cut the UMN Morris advantage to 5-1. Bristol struck out three more hitters in the inning to limit any further damage.

The Cougars pushed the game out of reach with a three-run sixth inning. Following singles from Anna Athey and Baumann, Wilkinson hit a double to score both runners for a 7-1 lead. Bristol then tacked on her third RBI of the game with her third hit to make it 8-1. The Polars went down in order in the sixth and managed just a lead-off walk in the seventh as Bristol closed out the complete game two-hitter.

Besides the three hits from Bristol, Minnesota Morris had two hits apiece in the game from Stevens, Wilkinson, and Thornton. Stevens scored four runs on the day.

Minnesota Morris and Crown will conclude their series tomorrow with a doubleheader in St. Bonifacius beginning at 2 p.m.