Crookston, Minn. – Minnesota Crookston softball earned their first sweep of the conference season on Saturday afternoon against Wayne State College in a doubleheader in Crookston.
Minnesota Crookston used dominant pitching from
Thayda Houser (Sr., P, Seymour, Iowa), who earned two wins in the circle on the day and catapulted the Golden Eagles to a pair of 3-0 and 8-2 victories.
Shaelyn Grant (Sr., C/OF, Grand Junction, Colo.) hit two home runs on the day, setting the new single-season program record with 10 home runs and counting on the season, breaking Mika Rodriguez' record in 2019. Grant also is tied with Alexis Khoshaba for home runs in a career with 20.
With the sweep, the Golden Eagles moved to 11-29 (4-12 NSIC) on the season.
Game One
The Golden Eagles and Wildcats would see a pitching duel in the first two innings, as neither team would cross home plate.
The Golden Eagles would break through in the bottom of the third, as
Shaelyn Grant (Sr., C/OF, Grand Junction, Colo.) would hit her team leading ninth home run of the season, scoring
Whitnee Curry (Jr., MIF/OF, Lincoln, Neb.) for a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Golden Eagles would add another run.
Maddie Shwaluk (Sr., OF, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) would narrowly miss a home run off the left field wall, but she would double in
Reagan Emerick (R-Jr., MIF, Macomb, Ill.) for a 3-0 lead.
Turns out, that is all that Houser would need, as she would allow just three hits in the game, earning the complete game shutout, the first of her season in the 3-0 win.
The Golden Eagles had eight hits in game one, led by three hits apiece from Emerick and Curry. Grant and
Maddie Shwaluk added the other two hits.
Houser went the distance, while also striking out seven and not giving up a walk.
Game Two
The Wildcats would get off to a much better start in game two, as they would strike for a pair of runs to take an early 2-0 lead.
It wouldn't be long until the Golden Eagles would answer with some two out magic in the bottom of the third. Curry would reach on an error by the Wildcats shortstop, allowing
Paige Shwaluk (Sr., MIF, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba) to score and cut the lead to 2-1.
The big swing came one pitch later, as Grant would add on to her team lead in home runs, sending a ball over the left field fence for a 3-2 lead.
Rayna French (Fr., C, La Salle, Manitoba) would reach on a single and would come around to score on a
Haley Koch (Jr., C, Mondamin, Iowa) RBI single.
In the bottom of the fourth,
Maddie Shwaluk would double in another run and she would later come around to score on a Curry infield single.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Golden Eagles would add more insurance runs, including another RBI from
Maddie Shwaluk.
That would be all the runs the maroon and gold would need in the 8-2 win.
The Golden Eagles finished game two with nine hits, led by Koch and
Maddie Shwaluk with a pair of hits.
Houser would earn the win in game two as well, going 4.0 innings, giving up just two runs on six hits.
Alexa Guilford (So., P, Crystal City, Manitoba) and
Evie Stuck (Jr., P, Papillion, Neb.) pitched three innings of shutout ball in relief.
What's Next
The Golden Eagles are back in action tomorrow afternoon as they welcome in Augustana for a doubleheader, starting at noon, from Crookston.
