MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris softball team continues Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) action as it hosts the University of Northwestern on Friday and Saturday in Morris, Minn.
 
All games can be viewed on the UMAC Sports Network or by clicking here. To follow the live stats click here.
 
The Cougars improved to 5-4 in conference play after sweeping North Central University last week. The series began with a single game, where UMM won 18-8 in six innings. In the doubleheader that followed, the Cougars earned wins of 13-9 and 12-0. Olivia Losee went 6-for-11 at the plate with two doubles and two triples, earning UMAC Player of the Week honors. Mary Landherr and Audrey Olson each hit their first collegiate home runs in the wins. In the circle, Morgan Wilhelm earned a pair of wins, and Alyssa Thornton pitched a complete-game shutout.
 
This season, Landherr leads the team with a .404 batting average and a 1.110 OPS. Losee and Taylor Johnson follow, batting .371 and .370, respectively. Jillian Anderson paces the team in RBIs with 13, while Losee has scored a team-high 18 runs. Thornton ranks third in the conference with 14 walks. The Cougars are second in the UMAC in stolen bases with 53, with Johnson leading the way with 11. Losee is a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen base attempts this season.
 
Thornton leads the pitching staff with a 4.97 ERA through 62 innings of work. The junior has struck out 38 batters, the sixth-most in the conference. Wilhelm added a pair of wins last week to improve her record to 3-6.
 
Northwestern holds a 13-8 overall record and sits atop the conference at 5-0. The Eagles are on a six-game winning streak and most recently defeated Crown College 12-3 and 20-3 on Monday. Alicia du'Monceaux is in her 18th season as head coach of UNW. Lani Schoper leads the team and ranks third in the UMAC with a .449 batting average, with Bryn Anderson close behind at .410. Emma Morrissey is 3-0 in the circle with a 1.14 ERA, while Ireland Strubbe has logged a team-high 62.1 innings with a 3.14 ERA.