BISMARCK, ND -  Big bats and dominant pitching led the University of Mary softball team to a sweep in their final home appearance of the year. The Marauders pounded out 22 hits and scored 15 runs on offense while Brieann Backes and Sarah Thomson posted compete game victories as UMary defeated MSU Moorhead 5-2 and 10-2 in Northern Sun action. The Marauders have won 6-of-8 games with three doubleheader sweeps in the last week.
 
The Marauders are tied for 11^th in the NSIC standings with Southwest Minnesota State entering the final weekend of play. Both UMary and SMSU have a .400 winning percentage (8-12 in league play). Wayne State College is currently 10^th at .409 (9-13) and Concordia-St. Paul is ninth at .458 (11-13). The top ten teams advance to the NSIC conference tournament.
 
UMary completes its conference schedule at Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota State University on April 28-29. Both the Golden Bears and the Mavericks are ranked in the regional poll.
 
GAME 1 University of Mary 5 MSU Moorhead 2
After leaving a pair of runners aboard in both the first and second innings, the Marauders exploded for four runs in the third inning. It was all the support Backes needed as she tied her season-high in strikeouts with eight and didn't allow an earned run.  
 
PIVOT POINT
The first four Marauders hitters in the third inning singled, including an RBI hit by Emma Noble and a 2-run knock up the middle by Kylie Alto to give UMary a 3-1 lead.  Rebekkah Keller, the ninth player to hit in the inning, hit a two-out run-scoring single through the middle to give the Marauders an insurmountable lead.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Backes struck out eight and held MSUM to two unearned runs, six hits and one walk.
 
Keegan Wickman and Lauren Lunt both doubles for UMary, the team's only extra base hits in the game.
 
Keller, Kasidy Chileen and Emma Noble all had a pair of hits for UMary.
 
Eight of UMary's nine starters had a hit in the game.
 
STAT OF THE GAME
The Marauders turned three double plays in the game, including a diving grab by Emma Noble in left field where she threw to Alto to double off a runner at second, a dropped popup on an infield fly to Alto where she threw to second where shortstop Paige Matsuki tagged out a runner trying to advance on the play, and a line shot to Matsuki where she doubled the runner off first.
 
GAME 2 UMary 10 MSUM 2
The Marauders scored four runs in the first and three times in each of the third and fourth innings to build a 10-run lead, more than enough for Thomson. The Marauders freshman kept the Dragons off the board until allowing two runs in the fifth.
 
PIVOT POINT
Game two was all about the first inning. After a walk, a hit batter and a Marauders error loaded the bases, Thomson struck out the sixth hitter of the inning to end the Dragons scoring chance.   
 
UMary scored four times in the bottom of the first, all with two outs. Kylie Alto singled home the first run before in infield hit by Lauren Lunt scored the second run. Madison McGonigal followed with a two-run double and the Dragons would never catch up.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
UMary's 3-4-5 hitters – Matsuki, Noble and Alto – were a combined 6-of-8 with a double, a home run. seven runs scored and six RBIs in the game.
 
Matsuki was 3-for-3 with a double, three runs scored and one RBI.
 
Noble was 1-of-3 with two runs scored, two RBI's and her eighth home run.
 
Alto finished 2-of-2 with two runs scored and three RBIs.
 
Thomson allowed four hits and four walks with four strikeouts and two earned runs in a 5-inning complete game. Three of the four hits and the two runs both came in the fifth inning after UMary held a ten-run lead.
 
STAT OF THE GAME
Eight of the Marauders nine starters had a hit and eight also had at least one RBI or run scored.  
 
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