Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Topeka, Minn. – Minnesota Crookston softball lost a pair on Sunday afternoon to Missouri Western State and fell in a heartbreaker in extra innings to Northwest Missouri State to close out the Washburn Invitational.
 
Minnesota Crookston falls to 2-7 on the season.
 
Game One
In game one, the Golden Eagles would strike first, as Shaelyn Grant (Sr., C/OF, Grand Junction, Colo.) would continue to stay hot early on the season, hitting a three-run home run, scoring Paige Shwaluk (Sr., MIF, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) and Rayna French (Fr., C, La Salle, Manitoba).
 
Following that home run, the Griffons would score the next five runs to take a 5-3 lead in the middle innings.
 
In the top of the sixth, Grant would hit her second home run of the night, this one of the solo variety to cut the lead to just a run at 5-4.
 
MWSU would score three runs in the bottom of the sixth, which would be enough to defeat the Golden Eagles, 8-4.
 
The Golden Eagles finished with seven hits, led by two apiece from Paige Shwaluk and Grant. French, Ruth Freiberg (So., OF, Hopkins, Minn.) and Emilee Haggadone (So., C, Lincoln, Neb.) would each collect one hit in the game.
 
Four different pitchers pitched on the day, led by Gracelynn Kelly (So., P, Black Hawk, S.D.), who went three innings, giving up just one earned run on three hits. Alexa Guilford (So., P, Crystal City, Manitoba) gave up four runs, none of which were earned in the game.
 
Game Two
Looking to salvage one win in Kansas, the Golden Eagles would look to get off to a quick start against the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State.
 
NMSU would strike first in the bottom of the first, but the Golden Eagles would answer right back in the top of the second inning, scoring four runs, highlighted by a two-run single from French, scoring Freiberg and Maddie Shwaluk (Sr., OF, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba).
 
Trailing 4-1, the Bearcats would knot things up in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI double. The game would be tied at the end of seven innings.
 
In extra innings, neither team would score in the eighth inning, but the Golden Eagles would score in the top of the ninth, as Maddie Shwaluk would score Irelyn Spencer (R-Fr., IF, Rapid City, S.D.) to give the Golden Eagles a one run lead heading into the bottom of the ninth.
 
Needing one to tie and two to win, Northwest Missouri State would complete the latter, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth to walk off on the maroon and gold, 6-5.
 
Minnesota Crookston had six hits on the day by six different hitters and left eight runners on the base paths.
 
Thayda Houser (Sr., P, Seymour, Iowa) got the start and worked around traffic all day, giving up four earned runs on 13 hits, while striking out a pair. Guilford picks up the loss and falls to 0-2 on the season, giving up just two hits in 2.1 innings of work.
 
What's Next
The Golden Eagles will be back in action next weekend for five more games in Missouri, before heading to Florida for ten games. The Golden Eagles will play Central Oklahoma on Friday morning in Springfield, Mo.