CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston softball team will once again travel to Minot, N.D. this weekend. The Golden Eagles will play doubleheaders on both Saturday and Sunday at the Minot State Dome. Minnesota Crookston will start off with a non-conference game against Dickinson State University Blue Hawks, followed by a familiar face in the Northern Sun Conference, Minot State University Beavers.

The Golden Eagles will play the Blue Hawks at 10 a.m., Saturday morning, while first pitch with the Beavers is set for 12 p.m. On Sunday, game times will be repeated against the same teams.

The Golden Eagles enter this matchup with a 4-8 mark. Minnesota Crookston will look to end their three-game losing streak in Minot before headed to Florida in the spring. Head Softball Coach Travis Owen is eager to get back in the win column, "we are looking to focus a little more on swinging with confidence at the plate and continuing with pitching and defense that keeps us in the game".

Minnesota Crookston Preview
Live Stats - https://msubeavers.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
Video (Minot State games) - https://portal.stretchinternet.com/minotstate/

At the plate, the Golden Eagles come in hitting .248 with 47 runs scored, 16 doubles, one triple, six home runs, and 44 RBIs. Minnesota Crookston has posted a .361 slugging percentage, along with a .348 on-base percentage.

Minnesota Crookston was led offensively last week by Malia Pula (Jr., UT, Gilroy, Caliif.), who drove in all six runs including a grand slam in the 6-4 victory over MSU Moorhead. Over the weekend Pula hit .272 with three hits and a total of seven RBIs. Mika Rodriguez (Jr., 2B/SS, Laveen, Ariz.) batted .200 and added two doubles. Haley Strachan (Sr., OF, Phoenix, Ariz.) notched four hits while batting .250 at the plate.

In the circle, the Golden Eagles enter the weekend with a team total 4.30 ERA with 48 strikeouts. They are led by Taylor Graven (So., RHP, Greene, Iowa), who posted a 1-1 mark with a 2.68 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched along with 11 strikeouts. Paige Pitlick (Jr., RHP, Jordan, Minn.) went 0-2 last weekend but managed six strikeouts.

Dickinson State Preview
This will be the first and only sighting of the Blue Hawks this season. The last time these two teams faced off was back in 2017, Minnesota Crookston grabbed the victory 5-4. The Blue Hawks travel to Minot with a record of 3-1 after opening the 2019 season in the Presentation Dome at the Aberdeen Classic in early February.

Dickinson State is led by Senior Infielder Sonja Lawrence, who hit .350 last season with 40 runs, five doubles, two triples, five home runs, and 30 RBIs. After four games this season Lawrence is hitting .357 with five hits and one run scored. Sophomore Jaya Allen is hitting .462 respectively, adding four runs, one double, two home runs, and five RBIs.

Through four games this season the Blue Hawks are hitting .320 with 18 runs scored, three doubles, two home runs, and 44 RBIs. They have posted a .408 slugging percentage, along with a .400 on-base percentage.

In the circle, the Blue Hawks lean on Junior Abi Brooks. Last season she managed a 15-10-2 mark and pitched in 179.1 innings with a 2.38 ERA. After four games Brooks has a record of 1-0, with a 4.20 ERA while adding five strikeouts. Sophomore Jaya Allen is a dual-threat player as she hits and pitches for Dickinson State. In their season opener, Allen started out strong as she pitched a shutout against Dordt College. She has a 2-1-1 record with a 1.56 ERA in 18.0 innings pitched while striking out 22 batters at the plate.

Minot State Preview
The Beavers and the Golden Eagles have faced off three times this season and will see each other again at the end of April. The Beavers used their home field advantage and grabbed the 2-0 victory over the Golden Eagles last week. The Beavers lead the series 2-1 and come into this weekend with an overall record of 6-5.

Minot State will look to the freshman duo of Randi Wright and Maggie Mercer who made key plays last week against the Golden Eagles. Both players have recorded 12 hits while hitting above .300 for the Beavers. They also rely on Junior Karlee Coughlin as she is hitting .333 with nine runs scored, five doubles, one triple, and six RBIs.

All together the Beavers are hitting .285 with 67 runs scored, 19 doubles, five home runs, and 57 RBIs. They have managed a .407 slugging percentage, along with a .375 on-base percentage.

Laura Mendez and Zoya Robbins continue to be consistent in the circle for the Beavers. Mendez has posted a 2-3-1 mark, with a 2.59 ERA in 27.0 innings pitched. Robbins has pitched 19.2 innings this season. Robbins posts a record of 2-1 while adding a 1.94 ERA through 18.0 innings pitched. The team has a combined 73.2 innings pitched, 3.52 ERA, 35 strikeouts, and 24 walks.