Crookston, Minn. – After losing a pair of heartbreaking games and getting swept on the road at Upper Iowa and Winona State, Minnesota Crookston will head back on the road to St. Joseph, Minn., for a site reversal doubleheader against St. Cloud State on the campus of The College of St. Benedict.
 
The Golden Eagles have lost the last three games against the Huskies, but had a thrilling 6-5 victory over SCSU at home in April of 2021.
 
How to Follow
Minnesota Crookston vs St. Cloud State University
Wednesday, April 12
9:30 A.M. / 11:30 A.M.
St. Joseph, Minn. / College of St. Benedict
Live Stats -- https://scsuhuskies.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
Watch Live -- https://nsicnetwork.com/scsuhuskies/
 
Minnesota Crookston (13-20)
Alina Avalos (Sr., IF, Riverside, Calif.) has been outstanding offensively. The California native is hitting .424 and an OPS of over 1.144, which equates slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Avalos has 39 hits on the season and five home runs and 31 knocked in. Avalos hit a three-run home run in the first game on Friday against Upper Iowa to give the Golden Eagles the lead. Whitnee Curry (So., IF/OF, Lincoln, Neb.) is having a breakout year, hitting .341 with 17 runs knocked in, while Charlotte Dombrowski (Fr., P/OF, Valparaiso, Ind.) is hitting right above .300, sitting at .301, in her first year as a Golden Eagle. Paige Shwaluk (Jr., MIF, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) scored three runs in four games this past weekend, bringing her team leading total up to 27.
 
This past weekend, Minnesota Crookston spun the ball pretty well, but had some tough luck. Thayda Houser (Jr., P, Seymour, Iowa) pitched over 13 innings last weekend and gave up just eight earned runs. Against Winona State, one of the best teams in the NSIC, Houser gave up just two runs on five hits. She struck out six against Upper Iowa, one shy of her season-high of seven. Evie Stuck (So., P/OF, Papillion, Neb.) and Dombrowski were solid in each of their starts last weekend. Stuck gave up just four earned runs against the Peacocks in game two.
 
St. Cloud State (21-14)
SCSU is another perennial power in the NSIC. The Huskies are 6-4 in the NSIC and got to that mark this past weekend with a sweep of Concordia-St. Paul, where they outscored the Golden Bears, 14-6.
 
The Huskies team batting average of .307 is proof that they are one of the better hitting teams in the NSIC. Sydney Trees leads that offense with a .373 average, but Holly Weinberger isn't too far behind Trees with a .368 average. Jasmin Estrada has provided the power, hitting six home runs and knocking in 31, which is tied with Avalos of Minnesota Crookston for fourth in the conference. Raven Vanden Langenberg and Maggie Fitzgerald are also each hitting above .320 and have combined for 42 runs knocked in. The Huskies are a patient team at the plate, as they have walked 115 times, which is second in the NSIC.
 
Trinity Junker leads a Huskies staff that is fourth in the NSIC with a 3.06 ERA. The senior from Lindstrom, Minn., is 11-5 on the season in 18 appearances with a 3.15 ERA. Junker also has struck out 110 hitters and has 11 complete games on the season. Justyce Porter has a 3.13 ERA in 46.0 innings of work. Lauren Kirchberg and Emma Eickhoff have combined to make 14 starts this season while striking out a combined 64 hitters.