University of Minnesota Crookston Athletics

Winona, Minn. - Golden Eagle Softball finished out their season in Winona today as they were swept by Winona State University. The first game was a tight loss as the Golden Eagles and Warriors went 11 innings, with the Warriors scoring three runs in the bottom of the 11th to take the 9-7 win. Game two, and the final game of the season for the Golden Eagles, was a 6-0 loss. The Golden Eagles finish out the season with a 15-41 record, going 8-22 in the NSIC.

Game One

The first game was a back-and-forth affair, with the two teams trading scores. There were five lead changes in total, with the Golden Eagles totaling 13 hits on 47 at bats and the Warriors registering nine hits on 37 at bats.

The first inning saw each team record one hit. Emily Kalina (Fr., CF/LHP, Rice Lake, Wis.) got the ball rolling with a double into right center before three straight outs for the Golden Eagles. The Warriors lone hit of the inning was a single by Tiegan Mancuso.

The top of the second was quick, as the Golden Eagles' first three batters in the order all went out. The Warriors brought home the first run of the game in the bottom of the inning when Lila McNeil hit a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing home Braelee Jodarski. That was the only score of the inning.

The Golden Eagles registered the only runs of the third inning. The first was thanks to a single by Rayna French (Jr., C, La Salle, Manitoba) that brought home Madisen Yandle (So., SS, Lakeville, Minn.) for the Golden Eagles. Immediately after that, Megan Surgenor (Fr., RHP/3B, Andover, Minn.) singled through the left side, bringing Valerie VanZant (Fr., MIF, Salina, KS) home for the first Golden Eagles lead.

The Golden Eagles did not register a hit in the top of the fourth. The Warriors put themselves back on top thanks to a home run by McNeill to tie the game, followed by a second home run of the inning by Alyssa Woelfel, which brought home two other runs to give the Warriors a 5-2 lead. 

The Golden Eagles answered right back in the top of the fifth, starting off with a ground out by VanZant that brought Yandle home to shorten the lead to just two. Two batters later, Surgenor homered to center field, bringing both her and French home to even the game at five. That did not last long due to the Warriors scoring on a Jaden Johnson single that brought in Bryn Elsenpeter for their sixth run of the afternoon.

The Golden Eagles tied the game back up in the top of the seventh inning when Kalina recorded her second hit of the day with a home run down the right field line, and the game was back even at six apiece. 

The eighth, ninth, and 10th innings did not see any runs scored, and only had two hits recorded. Both of those hits were for the Golden Eagles in the top of the eighth. The first hit was a single by Ireline Spencer (R-Jr., IF, Rapid City, S.D.) and then Madeline Murray (So., C/3B, Abilene, KS.) also recording a single.

The 11th inning was where things picked back up for the batters, starting off with an Emily Kalina single to center field. VanZant then hit a single, reaching second on a fielding error, and bringing home Kalina to give the Golden Eagles a 7-6 lead. The Golden Eagles and Warriors went into the bottom of the 11th with that score. With two runners on base and one out, the Warriors called upon Ava Smith to pinch hit. With a full count, Smith hit a walk-off home run into right center, winning the game for the Warriors 9-7.

Game Two

The Golden Eagles had a more difficult second game, with the Warriors locking in and winning 6-0. The Golden Eagles did not record a hit in the game. 

The first scores in this game came in the bottom of the second inning, with the first two coming in thanks to a single by Woelfel that brought home Nicole Weinberger and Jodarski. Then, the Warriors extended their lead to five off of a home run by Elsenpeter, bringing home Mancuso and Woelfel. 

The Golden Eagles did get runners on base in the top of the third. Ruth Freiberg (Sr., OF, Hopkins, Minn.) was walked, Madisen Yandle reached on a fielder's choice, and got to second thanks to a wild pitch. But the Golden Eagles could not get further than that in the inning. 

The Warriors got their sixth and final run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning when Elsenpeter singled through the right side, bringing Woelfel in for her second run of the game and fourth of the afternoon. 

The Golden Eagles got on base two more times. Once in the top of the sixth when VanZant was walked, and once when Chayse Doering (So., OF, Shakopee, Minn.) was walked in the top of the seventh. 

What's Next

Unfortunately, this is the end of the season for these Golden Eagles. They will next take the field in the spring of 2027.