ABERDEEN, S.D. – The University of Minnesota Crookston softball program fell 5-2 to Valley City State University and 7-6 to Presentation College Sat., Feb. 20 at the Presentation College Dome Tournament at the Presentation College Winter Dome in Aberdeen, S.D. The Golden Eagles were up 6-3 late over Presentation, but the Saints would come back and get four runs in the seventh.

Minnesota Crookston opens the season with an 0-2 record, despite playing tough in their first games of the 2016 season, Head Coach Don Stopa's second leading the way for the Golden Eagles.

Minnesota Crookston opened the day with a 5-2 loss to the Vikings of Valley City State University. Bailey Braatz (Jr., RHP, Buffalo, Minn.) got the start in game one and went 5.1 innings, giving up five earned runs on 10 hits with five strikeouts. Mikayla Jones (Fr., RHP, Huxley, Iowa) came in relief and went 1.2 innings, giving up one hit, while shutting out the Vikings in her time in the circle.
Valley City State broke the scoreless game in the top of the third when Morgan Nailey hit a solo home run off Braatz. The Golden Eagles would get out of any further trouble in the inning as Braatz got Tatum Lundin to line into a double play.

The Golden Eagles would knot up the score as Allison Foley (Sr., SS, Lockport, Ill.) scored when Maggie Morales (Fr., OF, Tucson, Ariz.) reached on an error by Lundin.

UMC would go up 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth when Victoria Bayliss (So., OF, West Bloomfield, Mich.) scored on an error from Katrina Boychuck.

However, Valley City State battled back and had a big inning in the fifth led by a Katie Cameron three-run home run off of Braatz.
The Vikings would add a run in the sixth as Kadie Anderson scored on a Boychuck single.

Braatz got the loss for the Golden Eagles.  

UMC was led by Foley, who was 2-of-4 with one run scored. Bayliss was 1-of-4 with one run scored.

In game two, the Golden Eagles got a very strong performance in the circle from Heather Cunningham (So., RHP, Jacksonville, Fla.), who went five innings, giving up just three runs on seven hits. The start was Cunningham's first as a Golden Eagle. Jones would suffer the loss after giving up a big seventh inning. She gave up four earned runs on five hits in 1.1 innings pitched.

UMC would get on the board first as Alexis Khoshaba (Sr., OF, Richmond, British Columbia) came up with a big hit, blasting a two-run home run to score herself and Foley and make it 2-0 early.

Presentation would respond with three runs in the first led by a Shelby Anderson double to drive in two. The Saints would lead 3-2 after the first.

The Golden Eagles would come up with a big third inning. Foley led off the inning with a double. She would score as Morales came through with a double of her own to knot it up 3-3. Gabby Antolak (So., C/3B, Zimmerman, Minn.) then hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Khoshaba. Morales would score on a Kristi Larson (Sr., IF, New Ulm, Minn.) sacrifice fly and Brooke Timmins (Sr., C, Magnolia, Texas) would hit a solo home run. UMC would end the inning with a 6-3 advantage.

UMC would hold the Saints at bay until the bottom the seventh. Orozco would double to start the scoring, playing Haylee Hemmert. Jacque Trost would then drive in Lauren Zapata to cut the UMC lead to 6-5. Anderson would cross the plate as she stole home. The go-ahead run would come as Krystie Schweers singled to drive in Trost.

The Golden Eagles would be led in game two by Foley, who was 2-of-4 with two runs scored. Khoshaba was 2-of-3 with two runs scored and two RBI's, while Antolak was 2-of-3 with one RBI.

Minnesota Crookston will take on University of Jamestown Sun., Feb. 21 at 9 a.m. and Waldorf College Sun., Feb. 21 as they wrap up the Presentation College Dome Tournament.

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 a NCAA Division II university located in the Red River Valley of Northwest Minnesota. UMC sponsors 11 intercollegiate athletic teams with membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate conference (NSIC) and the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). The NSIC is a 16-team conference with schools situated in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.
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