Wayne, Neb. – Minnesota Crookston softball has just two weeks remaining in the regular season. The Golden Eagles have had a really nice week so far, coming back from ten runs down in game one and knocking off Minnesota State for the first time earning a split on Sunday and defeating Minot State in game two on Wednesday to earn a split with the Beavers, which tied the school record for wins in a season.
 
This weekend, the maroon and gold will head south to Wayne State College and Augustana for a pair of doubleheaders.
 
How to follow
Minnesota Crookston @ Wayne State College
Saturday, April 22
12 / 2 P.M.
Wayne, Neb. / Pete Chapman Softball Complex
Watch Live -- https://nsicnetwork.com/wscwildcats/
Live Stats -- https://wscwildcats.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
 
Minnesota Crookston @ Augustana
Sunday, April 23
12 / 2 P.M.
Sioux Falls, S.D. / Bowden Field
Watch Live -- https://nsicnetwork.com/goaugie/
Live Stats -- https://goaugie.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
 
Minnesota Crookston (15-24, 3-11 NSIC)
The Golden Eagles came back from their largest deficit in many years in game one on Sunday, trailing by 10 runs, before coming back and scoring a whopping 16 unanswered runs against the Mavericks on Sunday. On Wednesday, Minnesota Crookston earned another split, bouncing back in game two to win game number 15 on the season, one win away from a school record.
 
Alina Avalos (Sr., IF, Riverside, Calif.) continues to lead the Golden Eagles, hitting .396 on the season with 12 extra base-hits and 34 runs knocked in. Whitnee Curry (So., IF/OF, Lincoln, Neb.) has been white hot at the plate and is hitting .352 on the season, good for second on the team. Dana Zarn (Sr., IF, Winnipeg, Manitoba) slugged her team-tying fifth home run on Sunday in the win. Maddie Shwaluk (Jr., OF, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) hit her first career grand slam on Sunday, propelling the Golden Eagle comeback. Shwaluk now has 13 RBI on the season. Shaelyn Grant (Jr., C/OF, Grand Junction, Colo.) hit her team-tying fifth home run on Wednesday. Kate Garcia (Fr., OF, Sylmar, Calif.) got the start in the game two win against Minot State and went 2-3 with three runs knocked in.
 
Thayda Houser (Jr., P, Seymour, Iowa) has a 4.38 ERA and leads the Golden Eagles in wins with six in 15 appearances. The junior has five complete games, including in game one on Wednesday against the Beavers, where she gave up just three runs, one of which were earned on six hits. Charlotte Dombrowski (Fr., P/OF, Valparaiso, Ind.) and Evie Stuck (So., P/OF, Papillion, Neb.) have combined to start 21 games and will be relied upon down the stretch for the Golden Eagles. Stuck was outstanding on Wednesday, helping the Golden Eagles earn the split. The sophomore went the distance, picking up the win, while giving up just two earned runs on seven hits.
 
Wayne State College (10-32, 5-14 NSIC)
The Wildcats have lost nine of their last ten games and are just ahead of the Golden Eagles in the NSIC standings, so this weekend's doubleheader is a big one.
 
As a team, WSC hits .275 on the season and are led by Roliey Homberg and Kim Vidlak, who are hitting .393 and .372, respectively. Holmberg and Vidlak are two of five Wildcats to start in all 42 games on the season. Vidlak, the Bennington, Neb., native, has 28 RBI on the season, which leads the team. Lauren Laudick is a power threat, hitting a team-high five home runs.
 
In the circle, the Wildcats have relied upon Grace Lucka and Samantha Felt to start games. The duo has started 38 games and have combined for 11 complete games. Lucka has a 4.70 ERA, which leads the team, as well as two shutouts, also leading the team. The Wildcats pitching staff has combined to give up 271 runs, which is the second most in the NSIC.
 
Augustana (28-11, 15-3 NSIC)
When a person looks at the NSIC standings, there is a good chance that the Vikings will be near the top of those standings, year in and year out. This year is no different, as the Vikings are tied with Minnesota Duluth for the NSIC lead with a 15-3 record. Augie has won six in a row and nine of their last ten.
 
The Vikings have one of the best offenses in the NSIC, sitting near the top in the Northern Sun in a number of offensive categories, including average, where they hit .355 as a team. The Vikings hit 54 home runs on the season, led by junior Kennedy Buckman and her conference leading 14 home runs. Buckman is second in the NSIC with 41 RBI, but teammates Delaney Young and Torri Chute aren't far behind with 38 and 36 runs knocked in, respectively. Here is how good the offense is: Every single hitter that has started 36 games or more on the season is hitting over .300. There's a reason why the Vikings have scored 292 runs on the year.
 
The Vikings pitching staff is really good as well. Their team ERA of 3.60 is fifth in the NSIC and fifth with 183 strikeouts. Hailey Houston is 14-2 in 22 appearances with a 2.36 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 100.2 innings of work. Lexi Lander, the junior from Iowa is 11-7 with a 3.50 ERA.