A rocky stretch last week could have cost Winona State University’s softball team the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championship, but the Warriors are still in the hunt for an at-large bit in the NCAA Division II tournament.
WSU went 6-3 last week — all in conference games — and fell to 14-4 in the NSIC and 28-12 overall.
“At this point, it is still one game at a time,” WSU coach Greg Jones said when asked about his team’s chances of making the NCAA tournament as an at-large. “For us now, it is just about taking care of business regionally.”
The Warriors started out the week hot, sweeping a doubleheader with Upper Iowa on April 15.
WSU won by scores of 3-0 and 10-1.
Kristen Fossell pitched a complete-game shutout in Game 1, scattering five hits and striking out 11 and Mollie Bjelland went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a run.
Bjelland was named NSIC player of the week after going 12-for-27 with four RBIs and a home run last week.
With the victory, Jones got win No. 300 as WSU’s coach.
In the second game, the Warriors put up nine runs on 11 hits.
Freshman Stacey Struzynski was fantastic once again, as she pitched five solid innings, giving up one run on one hit and striking out eight.
Rightfielder Terra Halron was solid as the leadoff hitter, as she went 3-for-4 and scored two runs.
The Warriors faced off against conference frontrunner Southwest Minnesota State on Thursday but couldn’t come up with any wins, losing 1-0 and 5-4.
The first game was a heart-breaker for the Warriors.
Going into the seventh inning, Fossell was working on a two-hit shutout in a scoreless game but gave up a walk-off solo home run to Amanda Burkhart.
In the game, Fossell only gave up that one run on three hits while striking out eight.
WSU lost the second game 5-4, despite 12 hits and three SMSU errors.
“We had the hits; we just didn’t put the hits together at the right time,” Jones said.
WSU held a 4-3 lead going into the bottom of the sixth inning, but the Mustangs put together a one-out double with two runners on base to take the lead.
Jenny Wilmes went 3-for-4 with three singles to lead the Warriors.
The Warriors limped into the second NSIC Crossover of the year and split a doubleheader with Mary (N.D.).
WSU lost the first game 2-1.
The Warriors took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, as Chelsea Rosenow scored off a Bjelland double.
Chelsea Ewing pitched an incredible game, holding a shutout until the sixth inning, but Mary got a run on a two-out passed ball to tie the game and eventually earned the win in the bottom of the ninth.
Ewing struck out four and walked three over 8 2/3 innings and gave up just two runs — one earned — on four hits.
Despite a three-game losing streak, the Warriors responded with a 4-1 win over MSU-Moorhead.
Fossell had another great performance, as she pitched seven innings and gave up one run on three hits and struck out 12.
The Warriors made it their mission to string out the winning streak, as they handled Minnesota-Crookston 9-0 in a five-inning game Saturday.
Freshman Courtney Strang struck out 11 and recorded a no-hit shutout.
Bjelland went 2-for-2, scoring three runs, and Wilmes went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a run.
The Warriors followed that performance by outscoring their opponents 21-2 on Sunday.
Struzynski was nearly unstoppable on the mound, striking out five over the three-hit shutout in WSU’s 12-0 win over Bemidji State.
On the offensive side, three players stood out above the rest: Halron, Rosenow and Wilmes.
The trio went 7-for-11, tallied six of the team’s 12 runs, and had four RBIs.
Although Laura Wright went 1-for-2, she made her at-bats count. The senior infielder had a three-run home run and a sacrifice fly to give her four RBIs in the game.
WSU followed with a great effort against Northern State, winning 9-2.
Again, Wilmes stole the show offensively, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored.
Fossell had another good outing, as she gave up just two runs on three hits and had six strikeouts over six innings.
With the conference season over, the Warriors are now looking to make an impact in the region. They will start Thursday when they travel to face Minnesota-Duluth in a doubleheader.
WSU, ranked sixth in the North Central Region, will be playing in the Microtel Inn and Suites Classic in Mankato, Minn., this weekend. The Warriors will play five games in two days, starting off with St. Cloud State on Saturday, which is ranked No. 9 in the region, and Nebraska-Omaha, which is ranked No. 4 in the region, on Sunday.
“This is going to be the one that you are going to make or break your NCAA tournament hopes with,” Jones said.