Duluth, Minn. – Last weekend, Minnesota Crookston softball went punch-for-punch with two of the best programs in the Northern Sun, Winona State and Minnesota State. After falling in game one against the Warriors last Friday, the Golden Eagles were able to knock off the Warriors in game two, for their first win over Winona State since 2011.
 
On Saturday, the Golden Eagles had Minnesota State, the 2017 National Champions on the ropes in the bottom of the seventh, but fell on a walk-off. MSU was able to sweep the Golden Eagles, but the silver lining for the Golden Eagles was the ability to play with the best teams in the conference.
 
This Wednesday, it's another powerhouse program on deck, as the Golden Eagles head to Duluth to take on Minnesota Duluth for a doubleheader with the Bulldogs.
 
How to Follow
Minnesota Crookston @ Minnesota Duluth
Wednesday, April 10
Time – 11 A.M. / 1 P.M.
James S. Malosky Stadium
Watch Live -- https://nsicnetwork.com/umdbulldogs/
 
Minnesota Crookston (9-27, 2-10 NSIC)
The Golden Eagles have been on the road a majority of the season and that will continue this Wednesday when the Golden Eagles head to Minnesota Duluth for a pair before heading back home for a pair of doubleheaders this weekend.
 
The Golden Eagle offense has been really good as of late and picked up a season-high 15 hits in their loss to Minnesota State on Saturday. The 15 hit performance was their highest hit total since they had 15 on 2/18/23 against Mercyhurst University, who is now making the move to Division I. The offense has been led by their table setter at the top of the order, Paige Shwaluk (Sr., MIF, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba). Shwaluk is hitting .307 and was 6-13 throughout this past weekend. Shwaluk has 10 multi-hit games on the season. Whitnee Curry (Jr., MIF/OF, Lincoln, Neb.) is having another solid season after having 14 multi-hit games a season ago. Curry leads the team in batting average and has a 5-5 game to her name this season against Sioux Falls. Shaelyn Grant (Sr., C/OF, Grand Junction, Colo.) and Rayna French (Fr., C, La Salle, Manitoba) are each hitting over .280, while Grant leads the team in RBI. Haley Koch (Jr., C, Mondamin, Iowa) has been on fire as of late, going 5-12 at the dish in her last three games with five RBI.
 
In the circle, the Golden Eagles have been led by Thayda Houser (Sr., P, Seymour, Iowa). Houser leads the Golden Eagles in WHIP, appearances, complete games, strikeouts and innings pitched and is tied with Alexa Guilford (So., P, Crystal City, Manitoba) for wins with three. Houser was outstanding in the win against the Warriors on Friday, going the distance and earning the win against one of the NSIC's best offenses. The Golden Eagles will look to ride the arm of Houser as NSIC play continues with six games throughout the week.
 
Minnesota Duluth (25-12, 6-6 NSIC)
The Bulldogs are 6-6 in the NSIC, but all six of their losses were sweeps at the hands of Winona State, Concordia-St. Paul and Augustana. The Bulldogs lost a pair of one run games to the Golden Bears this past Saturday.
 
The Bulldogs hit .292 as a team and have hit 17 home runs on the season, led by Kat Burkhardt, who has four home runs on the season. Julia Gronholz paces the Bulldogs with a .374 average and has 21 runs knocked in. Nicole Schmidt and Morgan McMillan are each hitting over .300 on the season. The Bulldogs are outscoring their opponents, 184-104.
 
The Bulldogs have one of the best pitching staffs in the NSIC and are led by outstanding senior Lauren Dixon. The Bulldogs have an ERA of 1.95, which is 18^th best nationally and second in the NSIC. Dixon is 18^th nationally with a 1.08 ERA and has five shutouts on the season, which is first in the Northern Sun. Dixon also gives up just 3.95 hits per game, which is top-10 in the nation and she has struck out 138 hitters on the year, which is tops in the NSIC. Maddy Walsh is a pretty good sidekick to Dixon. The freshman from Duluth has a 2.03 ERA in 19 appearances and is 7-1 on the season.