ST. CLOUD, Minn. – A five-plus hour doubleheader saw the Truman Softball team sweep Minnesota Crookston in the season opener on Friday in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The Bulldogs won game one 6-4 before taking the very late nightcap 7-3. Truman returns to the St. Cloud dome in less than 12 hours for a twinbill with the host Huskies at 9 a.m.
Game 1 Box Score (HTML)
McKenzie West hit a grand slam with two outs in the fifth inning of game one and the Bulldogs held on for a 6-4 win in the opener.
Truman fell behind 1-0 after one but tied the game in the fourth on a two-out RBI single from
Shelby Webster. In the fifth, the first two Truman hitters were quickly retired before
Maria McGonegle and
Macy Taylor both singled. Camryn Patterson coxed a walk to load the bases and West delivered the punch over the fence.
Crookston got three runs back in their half of the fifth and chased starter
Annabel Zimmer for
Breianna Klein.
McGonegle doubled in
Lauren Stade with two outs in the sixth for an insurance run.
Crookston got a leadoff double in their last chance in the seventh but stranded the runner at third base.
Zimmer pitched four innings with six strikeouts for the win while Klein got the final three for the save.
Game 2 Box Score (HTML)
Nicole Havel made her collegiate debut in the circle and aided her own cause when she drove in the first run in a three-run second inning for the Bulldogs.
Mackayla Gordon started the second with a walk and advanced to second when
Shelby Webster reached on an error by the shortstop.
Lauren Stade followed with a bunt single to load the bases. Havel knocked in the first run then advanced to second when Webster scored on a wild pitch.
Maria McGonegle drove in the third run with a double.
Crookston got a pair back with two outs in the fourth inning before Havel fanned the number nine hitter with two runners on base.
The visitors tied it with a run in the top of the fifth.
Truman scored four times on three hits and left two on base in their half of the fifth.
McKenzie West doubled and Gordon would single and score. McGonegle would pick up her
second RBI of the game with a double to make it 7-3.
Breianna Klein, who entered the game with the score tied in the fifth, got the win pitching two scoreless frames.
