ABERDEEN, S.D. – The University of Minnesota Crookston softball team opened up the 2017 season with a pair of losses at the Presentation College Indoor at the PC Dome in Aberdeen, S.D. The Golden Eagles would give up four runs in the last three innings to fall 4-1 to Valley City State University. In game two, Northern State University used three home runs to take down the Golden Eagles 16-0.

Minnesota Crookston starts the year with a 0-2 mark. Northern State is 1-1 after day one at the Presentation College Indoor. Valley City State owns a 1-1 mark after their first day of play.

Bailey Braatz (Sr., RHP, Buffalo, Minn.) got the ball in game one for the Golden Eagles. Braatz would go 5.2 innings and give up three earned runs on eight hits with five strikeouts. Braatz pitched shutout softball through the first five innings as she gave up just four hits to Valley City State in the first three innings. She would mow down the Vikings in the fourth inning before running into some trouble in the fifth inning.

Kassidy Klaphake (Jr., RHP, Cold Spring, Minn.) would come on in relief of Braatz. Klaphake would go 1.1 innings and give up one earned run on one hit.

Minnesota Crookston would get on the board in the bottom of the first. Maycee Trujillo (So., 3B/C, Sioux Falls, S.D.) singled to drive in Victoria Bayliss (Jr., OF/2B, West Bloomfield, Mich.), who had walked earlier in the inning. Morgan Nailey would strike out the final two batters of the inning.

Valley City State would open up the second frame with a triple from Emily Smith. However, Braatz would strike out two in a row and get Kelli Moore to groundout to get out of any threat.

UMC would look to add to their lead in the bottom of the third as Gabriel Antolak (Jr., C/3B, Zimmerman, Minn.) doubled and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Valley City State would get out of the inning as Nailey struck out Trujillo and Khailyn Neumayer (Jr., OF, Morgan Hill, Calif.) to get out of the inning.

The Golden Eagles would get a double from Maggie Morales (So., OF/1B, Tucson, Ariz.) in the bottom of the fourth but would be unable to get her across the plate as the score remained at 1-0.

Braatz would run into trouble in the top of the fifth. Renee Snyder opened up the frame with a double. Moore would walk the next at-bat to give the Vikings two base-runners with no outs. Kelsey Hamade would then come through with a single to drive in Snyder. Moore would cross the plate on a Nailey groundout but Braatz would get out of peril by getting three-consecutive outs in the inning.

Antolak would get another double in the bottom of the fifth to try to start a rally for the Golden Eagles. However the Vikings would get out of the inning holding on to a 2-1 lead.

Valley City State would add a run in the top of the sixth as Kadie Anderson singled to drive in Breckheimer. After a Snyder single, Braatz would be pulled in favor of Klaphake. The Cold Spring, Minn. Native would get the final out of the inning as Valley City State led 3-1 over Minnesota Crookston.

The Vikings added a security run in the top of the seventh as Nailey put a ball over the fence to make it 4-1. In the circle, Valley City State's Nailey and Ashley Metcalf would shut down Minnesota Crookston to hold on for the win.

Nailey would get the win for the Vikings after going 6.1 innings and giving up one earned run on five hits with 12 strikeouts.

Valley City State was led by Nailey, who was 2-of-4 with two RBI's and one run scored. Hamade went 2-of-4 with one RBI.

Minnesota Crookston looked to Antolak, who was 2-of-3. Trujillo was 1-of-3 with one run scored, while Morales was also 1-of-3.

Mikayla Jones (So., RHP, Huxley, Iowa) would get the start in game two against Northern State. The Wolves would get to Jones early as Rachel Albright hit a three-run home run to drive in herself, Jamie Fisher and Katelynn Dilts. 

Northern State would continue their big inning as Madison Rutter doubled to center field to drive in Kennady Thompson. The Wolves would add two more in the frame when Courtney Sjervan doubled to right center to plate Rutter and Katie Dawson. 

Lauren Kunz then singled to drive in Sjervan and Dilts singled to drive in Kunz to push their lead to 8-0. Jones would get out of the inning as she got Albright to fly out.

Rutter would chase Jones in the second inning with a single to plate Anne Jonas. Paige Pitlick (Fr., RHP, Jordan, Minn.) would come on in relief of Jones. Sjervan continued the scoring for the Wolves as she singled to right center to drive in Jess Vernon. Dilts would then walk with the bases loaded as Rutter crossed the plate to make it 11-0. Pitlick would then walk Jenna Helgeson with the bases loaded as Sjervan crossed the plate. Northern State would get their final run of the inning when Fisher hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Kunz to make it 13-0.

Sjervan would continue her strong game as she hit one over the left field fence to push the lead to 14-0.

Minnesota Crookston would get their first hit of the game in the bottom of the third as Jenna Boardman (Jr., SS, Genoa, Wis.) singled through the right side, but the Golden Eagles would be unable to capitalize on the base runner. 

The Wolves would add two more runs in the top of the fourth as Jonas hit a home run to center field to drive in Fisher and herself to make it 16-0.

Fisher would get the win on the mound as she went five innings, giving up just two hits in a shutout victory for Northern State.

Jones would get the loss after giving up 11 earned runs on 11 hits. Pitlick would go 1.2 innings and give up three earned runs on four hits. Heather Cunningham (Jr., RHP, Jacksonville, Fla.) would come on and go 1.1 innings and give up two earned runs on two hits. Sammy Knudson (Sr., RHP, Fergus Falls, Minn.) would shut down the Wolves in the final inning with no hits.

UMC's two hits would come from Boardman and Sam Rarick (So., UT, East Grand Forks, Minn.). Nothern State was led by Sjervan, who was 3-of-3 with three runs scored and four RBI's. Kunz went 3-of-4 with one RBI and two runs scored, while Rutter was 2-of-3 with two RBI's and two runs scored.

Minnesota Crookston will wrap up the Presentation College Indoor with games against University of Jamestown Sun., Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. and Dakota Wesleyan University at 12 p.m.