MANKATO, MN – Needing a pair of wins to stay alive for postseason play, the University of Mary softball team ended Minnesota State University's three-year home winning streak in the opener but couldn't complete the sweep against one of the nation's top teams. The Marauders claimed the opener 8-5 before the Mavericks picked up a 17-2 win in the regular season finale for both teams. The loss eliminated the Marauders from capturing the final slot in the Northern Sun tournament.
 
GAME 1 University of Mary 8 Minnesota State University 5
The Marauders jumped out to an early lead and snapped the Mavericks 32-game home winning streak at the MSU Softball Field, which dated back to April 28, 2015. Emma Noble homered and drove in three runs and senior Keegan Wickman cracked her first career home run. The Mavericks made a couple runs at the Marauders but UMary responded each time.
 
PIVOT POINT
The Marauders scored three times in the first inning and once in the second to build an insurmountable lead. After Paige Matsuki singled in Rebekkah Keller with the first run of the game, Noble blasted her team-leading tenth home run of the season, a 2-run shot to give the Marauders a 3-0 lead. Noble then doubled home a run in the second to extend the Marauders advantage to 4-0.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Madison Jahner pitched two scoreless innings of relief to earn a save. She entered the sixth inning with a runner on second and no outs. The second out of the inning was a play at the plate off a throw from Keller and a relay from Jahner to Coleen Crutchfield to preserve a 6-5 lead for the Marauders.
 
The Marauders 3-4-5 hitters Matsuki, Noble and Kylie Alto were a combined 6-for-10 with six runs scored, five RBIs, and two walks.
 
Matsuki was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI.
 
Noble finished 2-for-2 with two walks, a double, a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored. She also had a steal. Noble has a home run in three of her last four games and RBIs in five straight.
 
Alto was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
 
Lauren Lunt doubled and drove home two runs.
 
Wickman hit a solo home run to center field in the seventh inning, the first in the senior's career. She was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in the game.
 
STAT OF THE GAME
The Marauders out-hit the Mavericks 12-10.   
 
GAME 2 MSU 17 UMary 2
The region's sixth ranked team exploded for nine runs in the third inning and another seven in the following stanza to break up what was a tight game. The Mavericks scored a single run in the second before the Marauders evened the score in the top of the third on a triple by Keller and an RBI groundout by Noble. The Mavericks ripped off the next 16 runs.
 
PIVOT POINT
The Marauders left two runners aboard in the first inning as Alto lined out to center field, ending the Marauders chance to jump out to an early lead as they had in the opening game. UMary had a runner in scoring position in the second also but couldn't take advantage.  
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Noble drove in both Marauders runs. 0-for-1 on the day, she was hit by a pitch and hit a sacrifice fly. Noble drove in a run in each of her last six games of the season.
 
Keller was 2-for-2 with a run scored, posting half of the Marauders four hits.
 
The other Marauders hits were recorded by pinch hitters Stephanie Alvarez and Rachael Laetsch.
 
Jess Meidl was 4-for-4 with two runs scored and seven RBIs for MSU.  
 
STAT OF THE GAME
MSU scored 16 straight runs over two innings.
 
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