Sam Thiel/Winonan
The Winona State University softball team used two grand slams in a single inning en route to a 15-2 win over Concordia (NY), and also posted a 9-7 victory over Dominican in the first day of play in Florida on March 6.
Ashley Walker and Kaitlin Hardie each connected for grand slams as the Warriors plated nine runs in the second inning versus Concordia.
Five different players for Winona State would connect for home runs throughout the match as the Warriors continued its explosive start on the offensive end this year.
Entering the second inning with a 1-0 lead, Winona State burst out the offense. After a trio of singles to lead off the inning to load up the bases, Walker cleared the bases with a grand slam.
Bases loaded after three singles, Hardie nailed a pitch over the centerfield fence to give the Warriors the second grand slam of the inning.
Jenny Nelson chipped in a two-run homer in the third while Morgan Lintz also connected for a homer of her own to give Winona State a 13-1 lead. Britt Stewart gave the Warriors its fifth round-tripper of the game, smashing a two-run shot in the fourth inning.
The Warriors were unstoppable at the plate, recording 17 hits, with Lintz and Hardie each getting a trio of hits. Four more Warriors collected a pair of hits in the win.
Stewart and Michelle Lund combined to allow only seven hits and two runs as well as striking out four.
In the second game of the day, Winona State’s offense exploded right away, plating five runs in the first inning. Hardie drove in two on a double while Reed Karsten and Nelson each recorded RBIs in the inning.
Dominican wouldn’t give up, posting five runs in the fourth to knot up the score at five. Winona State would answer right back with a RBI hit by Karsten and RBI singles by Lintz and Hardie in the fifth to make the Winona State lead 8-5. The
Warriors got their final run in the sixth inning on a double by Stewart.
Dominican got within two in the top of the seventh, 9-7, and had the tying run at bat but Walker got out of the pressure to seal the victory.
This was the Warriors’ tenth consecutive win, marking the fourth time in school history that Winona State has began the year with ten wins in a row.
The Warriors dropped its first game of the season, falling to Grand Valley State 7-3 before defeating the University of the Sciences 7-2 on March 7.
The Warriors put their backs against the wall quickly in the opening game, with Grand Valley State leading Winona State 6-0 after four innings.
Winona State tried to make a comeback, getting a run in the sixth on a RBI single by Lintz. The Warriors got two more runs in the seventh with a Karsten RBI and Stewart driving in another run, but Winona State couldn’t get any closer than that, losing 7-3.
Winona State managed to get 11 hits on the game, with Brooke Piotrowski, Karsten, Stewart and Hardie each collecting two.
Stewart was credited with the loss on the mound, even though she gave up only two earned runs while tossing a complete game.
The Warriors started off in a familiar position in their second game of the day against the University of the Sciences, building a 7-0 advantage after two innings of play.
Winona State pounced on the Devils’ mistakes, getting a run on an error in the first and plating three more in the second after a couple more errors. Piotrowski hit an RBI single in the frame while Walker knocked in another on a triple and Stewart smacked a solo homer.
The Devils broke the shutout with two runs in the top half of the third, but Winona State played tight defense the rest of the way. Lund tossed a complete game, allowing six hits and a couple of earned runs as well as striking out seven to record the victory
Winona State team earned a split in its games Saturday in Florida, losing to Fort Hays State 12-2 before coming back to shutout Hillsdale 5-0.
Winona State and Fort Hays State each plated a pair of runs in the opening inning. Stewart drove home Karsten and Walker on a double to give the Warriors its first two runs. That would end up being all the runs they would get, as Fort Hays State recorded a couple of runs in the third and fourth and plated six runs in the sixth to get the win.
Two of the Warriors four hits on the game came from Karsten.
In the nightcap of their doubleheader, Lund was the key factor, tossing a complete game against Hillsdale while striking out three. Lund gave up just two hits on the game and only allowed one runner to reach third base.
On the offensive end, Winona State recorded three runs in the third; receiving RBI base hits from Karsten and Lintz as well as getting a third run on a Hillsdale error. The Warriors plated the other two runs in the sixth.
Two walk-off hits concluded the Warriors’ stay in Florida. The Warriors took the first game 7-6 over American International before losing to St. Thomas Aquinas 3-2.
The Warriors entered the bottom of the seventh trailing 6-3 before capping off their comeback. Lintz cut the deficit to two with a solo homer with the Warriors then filling up the bases because of an error and singles by Jessica Kullmann and Shannon Nelson. Karsten tied the game with a two-run single and later crossed the plate for the game-winning run thanks to an error by the American International centerfielder.
In the final game of their trip to Florida, the Warriors got an early lead against St. Thomas Aquinas, plating two runs in the first inning as Walker and Lintz had RBIs.
St. Thomas Aquinas finally got on the board with a run in the sixth inning before scoring two more times in the bottom of the seventh to get the victory.
Piotrowski, Walker and Kullmann each had a pair of hits for Winona State.
The Warriors are now 13-3 overall and will head to Wisconsin-Parkside in a doubleheader on Thursday March 14.
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