MORRIS, Minn. - Celebrating senior day and Alyssa Thornton's 100 strikeouts, the University of Minnesota Morris has much to celebrate after sweeping the North Central University Rams on day one of this conference series. The Cougars and Rams will face off again tomorrow, May 4, at 12:00 pm for the final game of the series. 

Minnesota Morris 9, North Central 1

The Rams started the scoring in the first inning, before the Cougar bats got working in the second and the team totaled up eight runs in the 13 batter inning while also collecting five hits. Runs in the second inning came from Jillian Anderson, Anna Athey, Malena Mahoney, Lauren Parsons, Ashley Albert, Taylor Johnson, Sierra Stevens, and Kendra Schmitz to secure a 8-1 lead. The final run of the game came in the fourth as Olivia Losee's speed allowed her to round the bases and score on a long single from Mahoney. 

Albert went a perfect 2-2 at the dish for the Cougars while Schmitz and Athey picked up two RBI apiece. In the circle, Thornton pitched seven strikeouts, two flyouts, and four groundouts in the five innings played. 

Minnesota Morris 11, North Central 6

North Central jumped out to an early 6-1 lead as momentum in the top of the second allowed them to push five runs across home plate. Minnesota Morris responded in the third with runs from Waabigwan Wagner, Mahoney, Parsons, Albert, Johnson, and Thornton to take a 7-6. From there, it was the Cougars' game all the way as one run in the fourth and three more in the sixth left the Rams looking at an 11-6 scoring deficit and the Cougars celebrated their eighth conference victory.

At the plate for Minnesota Morris, Stevens, Athey, and Mahoney all went 2-3 and collectively picked up five of the team's 11 runs. Athey hit both a double and triple into play, Stevens launched a triple, and Mahoney sent the Ram's defense scrambling with a well-placed double. With Morgan Wilhelm and Thornton in the circle, the Cougars recorded 10 strikeouts, seven flyouts, and five groundouts.