Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 WEST ST. PAUL, Minn.  The University of Minnesota Crookston softball team fell 10-0 and 5-0 to Minnesota State University, Mankato Mon., March 31 at the West St. Paul Regional Athletics Center in West St. Paul, Minn. The Golden Eagles fall to 2-15 (0-4 NSIC) with Monday's losses. Minnesota State improves to 21-6 (6-0) with the victory over Minnesota Crookston.

Cateline Fafard (Sr., P/1B, Dauphin, Manitoba/Elementary Education) got the start in game one Monday and would struggle overall, giving up five earned runs on seven hits in the first inning. Fafard would suffer the loss in the 10-0 game against the Mavericks.

Minnesota State would start out the scoring quickly as Samantha Holien led off the game with a single. Lindsay Erickson quickly followed up Holien with a home run to center to drive in Holien and make it 2-0. The Mavericks would add a run as Kelly Wood crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly. Laura Milligan would then get on with a ground-rule double to drive in Anna Colege. The last run of the inning would cross as Karli DesLauriers reached on a bunt single and Milligan tallied the fifth run of the frame.

Brooke Vatthauer (Jr., P/1B, Crookston, Minn./Health Science) would come on in relief of Fafard in the second inning. Vatthauer would put up a strong pitching performance, giving up just two earned runs on four hits in two innings pitched.

Sammy Knudson (Fr., P/UT, Fergus Falls, Minn./Undecided) would relieve Vatthauer in the fourth and would pitch a strong fourth frame. Knudson would allow three earned runs on four hits in two innings pitched.

Coley Ries had a strong pitching performance for Minnesota State in the Maverick victory. Ries would strike out the first seven batters as she had a perfect game going through the first 2.1 innings of play. That was until Fafard ended the perfect game with a single in the third inning. Shelby Hollinger (Jr., 2B, Neudorf, Saskatchewan/Health Science) followed with a single of her own, but UMC was unable to plate any runs in the third.

Ries would end up earning the win as she went four innings and pitched a shutout, giving up three hits.

Minnesota State was led by Tatum Klein, who went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and one RBI. Anna Cole was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI.

In addition to Fafard and Hollinger, Ashley Manusos (Sr., OF, Spring Grove, Ill./Sports and Rec Management) also had a hit.
In game two, Paige Schaust (Sr., P/OF, Delano, Minn./Early Childhood Education) would get the start and would keep UMC in the game. Schaust pitched seven innings, allowing just one earned run on nine hits. Schaust would however suffer the loss in the contest.

Brittany Lauterbach would get the start in game two for Minnesota State. She would go seven innings, allowing no earned runs on two hits in the shutout.

After a scoreless first inning, the Mavericks would open the lid on the scoring as Holien hit an RBI single with two outs to drive in DesLauriers and make it 1-0.

Minnesota State would add two runs in the third as Chelsea Riordan singled to drive in Ashley Thell. Abby Whritenour would then reach on an error by the second baseman to drive in Riordan to make it 3-0.

In the fifth, the Mavericks would add a fourth run as Thell crossed the plate on a groundout to extend their lead to 4-0.

Minnesota State would extend their advantage to 5-0 as Thell singled through the left side to plate Wood.

The Golden Eagles would get one last chance to come back in the bottom of the seventh, but were unable to, despite hanging with one of the NSIC's top softball teams for the entirety of game two.

Minnesota State was led in game two by Thell, who was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and one RBI. In addition, Holien was 2-for-4 with one RBI.

UMC was led by hits from Manusos and Allison Foley (So., SS, Lockport, Ill./Accounting).

The Golden Eagles are scheduled to play University of Mary Tues., April 1 in Crookston, Minn. The game will not be played on Tuesday in Crookston due to field conditions and weather. More information on game location and game date and time will be announced on goldeneaglesports.com later this week.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.

Follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook at Golden Eagle Sports and on Twitter at @UMCAthletics.

The University of Minnesota Crookston is an NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).