SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The University of Minnesota Crookston softball team picked up an 11-6 win over Evangel University to cap off Saturday's action at Drury University in Springfield, Mo.

The Golden Eagles improved to 5-9 with Saturday's win over Evangel. The Valor dropped to 9-4 with the loss. The Golden Eagles are 1-2 in games at Drury.

Thayda Houser (So., P, Seymour, Iowa) pitched four innings in the victory, allowing just one earned run, on four hits. Houser struck out two, and walked just two. Alexa Guilford (Fr., P, Crystal City, Manitoba) went 2.1 innings, allowing just four runs, on four hits.

Gracelynn Kelly (Fr., P, Black Hawk, S.D.) came on and pitched 0.2 innings, allowing no runs, on no hits. She struck out two.

Micaiah Cordell went one inning in the loss. She allowed six runs, on five hits. Cordell struck out one, and walked three.

Minnesota Crookston notched 13 hits in the win. The Golden Eagles were propelled by Alina Avalos (Sr., IF, Riverside, Calif.), who went 3-of-3, with one RBI, and two runs scored. Charlotte Dombrowski (Fr., P/OF, Valparaiso, Ind.) went 2-of-3, with two RBIs, and two runs scored. Paige Shwaluk (Jr., MIF, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) finished 1-of-2, with two runs scored. Maddie Shwaluk (Jr., OF, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) was 2-of-2, with a run scored.

The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 advantage in the bottom of the first. Dombrowski singled in Paige Shwaluk to push the lead to 1-0. The Golden Eagles widened the gap to 2-0 when Haley Koch (So., C, Mondamin, Iowa) walked with the bases loaded, allowing Dombrowski to come around to score. Avalos scored on a fielder's choice to extend the advantage to 3-0.

Minnesota Crookston added five runs in the bottom of the second. Dombrowski tripled to center field to plate Paige Shwaluk and Maddie Shwaluk to extend the Golden Eagles to 5-0. The Golden Eagles extended their lead to 6-0 when Avalos doubled to center field, driving in Dombrowski. Minnesota Crookston pushed their lead to 7-0 when Reagan Emerick (R-So., MIF, Macomb, Ill.) singled to right field, scoring Dana Zarn (Sr., IF, Winnipeg, Manitoba) to make it 8-0.

Evangel got a run in the top of the third when Brooke Arnold scored on a fielder's choice. The Valor had more opportunities later in the frame, but stranded three runners.

Evangel trimmed the deficit to 8-2 in the top of the fifth when Josie Allcock-Sperry reached on an error, allowing Megan Stone to score.

The Golden Eagles pushed their lead to 9-2 when Sophie Juntunen (Fr., OF/1B, St. Michael, Minn.) singled in Gabriella Blomdahl (Sr., OF, Duluth, Minn.).

Evangel cut the deficit to 9-6 in the top of the sixth guided by RBI doubles from Mariah Hanner and Ali Raley.

UMN Crookston got back two runs in the bottom of the sixth to push the lead to 11-6 as Blomdahl doubled in Jenna Parfeniuk (Sr., P/1B, Winnipeg, Manitoba), and Emilee Haggadone (Fr., C, Lincoln, Neb.). The Golden Eagles would win by the 11-6 tally.

The Golden Eagles wrap up in Springfield, Mo., Sunday, March 5 with games against Northeastern State University and Cottey College.