MINNEAPOLIS – The University of Minnesota Morris softball team scored early and often in Friday afternoon's 18-6 win at North Central University, wrapping up the victory in five innings. The Cougars improve to 26-12 (13-3 UMAC) with the win over the Rams.
Though
Sierra Stevens and
Alice Wilkinson were both retired to start the game, Minnesota Morris proceeded to score six runs in the top of the first all with two outs.
Alyssa Thornton doubled home
Mary Landherr and
Tori Nichols followed with a RBI single to score Thornton. With the bases loaded,
Anna Baumann hit a single that scored two and
Anna Athey followed with a triple that plated two more.
North Central scored on a solo home run in the bottom of the first, but the Cougars were right back at it in the second. Wilkinson was hit by a pitch to start the inning and that was followed by five straight singles that made it 9-1. Baumann then grounded out, but that was enough to score a run and another run came in on a Ram error. With the score 11-1 and the bases loaded, Wilkinson tripled in three to grow the margin even more.Â
In the fourth inning,
Athena Grimley and Thornton had RBIs as the Cougars went on top, 16-2. Grimley and
Morgan Wilhelm tacked on RBIs in the top of the fifth to make it 18-2.
Jessi Vermeulen came on in relief of Thornton for the fifth inning and closed things out with a strikeout.
Thornton had six strikeouts in her 4.0 innings of work and was 3-for-3 at the plate. Grimley, Landherr, Wilhelm, Nichols, Athey, and
Malena Mahoney all had two hits apiece.
Minnesota Morris knows the season will continue into next week's UMAC Tournament, but the Cougars don't know their opponent or location of the tournament. With two wins over North Central tomorrow as the regular season concludes, the Cougars could earn the right to host the UMAC Tournament if they get help in other contests around the UMAC. For that to fall into place, Minnesota Morris will have to do its part by defeating NCU twice when the teams square off again in Minneapolis starting at 11 a.m.
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