WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The University of Minnesota Crookston softball team earned a split Saturday, March 19 in Winter Haven, Fla. The Golden Eagles defeated Dominican College 4-2 in game two, and fell 3-2 in extra innings in a nail-biter against Shepherd University.
The Golden Eagles are 9-15 during the 2022 season. Shepherd improved to 6-9 with the victory in game one. Dominican fell to 4-6. Minnesota Crookston is 2-5 during their trip to Florida. UMN Crookston split with Dominican, as they fell to the Chargers on Friday night.
Game One
The Rams won the first game of the day in extra innings when Alex Mantz hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Leann Brown, who was the runner put on second base to start of the bottom of the eighth.
Evie Stuck (Fr., RHP, Papillion, Neb.) had a stand-outing for the Golden Eagles. She tossed 7.2 innings, allowing no earned runs, on two hits. Stuck struck out two, and walked three for the game.
Nicole Purtell started for the Rams and went five innings, allowing two earned runs, on eight hits. Katie Laing pitched two innings, allowing no runs, on one hit. Hannah Ruffner picked up the win for Shepherd, going one inning, allowing no runs, on one walk.
Minnesota Crookston was guided by
Shaelyn Grant (So., C/OF, Grand Junction, Colo.), who went 2-of-4 for the game.
Alina Avalos (Jr., IF, Riverside, Calif.) went 1-of-3, with two RBIs, and a run scored, including a home run.
Kamryn Frisk (R-Sr., RHP/UT, Anchorage, Alaska) finished 1-of-4.
Gabriella Blomdahl (Jr., OF, Duluth, Minn.) was 1-of-2, with a run scored.
Brittney Mengel (Fr., OF, Sullivan, Wis.) was 2-of-3. Minnesota Crookston's bats came alive, as they finished with nine hits. The Golden Eagles struggled getting runners across the plate, leaving eight runners stranded.
Shepherd was led at the plate by Chloee Burton, who was 1-of-4. Isabella Forte was 1-of-1. The Rams had only two hits on the entire game.
Game Two
Minnesota Crookston bounced back for the 4-2 win over the Chargers. The Golden Eagles were guided by three runs in the bottom of the fifth, including a
Jenna Parfeniuk (So., UT, Winnipeg, Manitoba), two-run home run.
Thayda Houser (So., RHP, Seymour, Iowa) continued her effective pitching in Florida. Houser went seven stanzas, allowing just one earned run, on seven hits. She struck out five, and walked one.
Kyra Wiens lost the game for Dominican. She allowed four runs, on six hits in 4.2 innings. Wiens struck out six, and walked three. Samantha Carbonara came on and pitched 1.1 innings, allowing no runs.
The Golden Eagles finished with seven hits in game two.
Alyssa Stillman (Jr., 2B/SS, Hortonville, Wis.) led the way going 2-of-3. Parfeniuk was 1-of-2, with two RBIs, and a run scored.
Sydney Huwe (Fr., UT, Carver, Minn.) finished 1-of-1, with two runs scored, and an RBI. Grant was 1-of-3 in the game. Mengel went 1-of-3, with a run scored.
Annjelica Moreno-Engelbrecht (Jr., UT, Oceanside, Calif.) went 1-of-2.
The Chargers were led by Haylee Redmond Ridge, going 2-of-3, with an RBI. Kamryn Raya was 1-of-3. Chloe McIntosh finished 1-of-3, with a run scored.
The Golden Eagles jumped on the board in the first when Huwe scored on an Avalos groundout.
Dominican charged in the third and tied the game up 1-1 when Ridge singled in McIntosh.
UMN Crookston took the 2-1 advantage in the fifth when Huwe doubled to plate Mengel. Parfeniuk then hit a two-run shot, plating herself, and Huwe.
The Chargers got one run back in the seventh in an unconventional way as Kristin Miscia made it all the way around the bases aided by two errors. However, Houser shut down the rally as Minnesota Crookston won 4-2.
The Golden Eagles will wrap up their time in the Sunshine State Sunday, March 20 at 8:15 a.m. C.T. at Legends Way Ballfields in Clermont, Fla.
