Minot State rolls past Wolves in NSIC Tourney opener

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Minot State) — Junior Reegan Floyd was dealing on Wednesday, throwing a three-hit shutout to lead the Minot State Beavers over the Northern State Wolves 7-0 in the first round of the NSIC Tournament.

Floyd (9-8) went the distance for Minot State (23-18 overall), giving up three hits, walking one and striking out one.

At the plate, the Beavers were led by sophomore Sara Van Wickler , who went 2-for-4 on the day with a double, a home run and three RBI. Senior Brooklyn Morrison put together a standout effort as well, going 1-for-2 with a home run and an RBI. Junior Abby Lohse also chipped in for Minot State, putting together three hits in four trips to the plate while adding a double and an RBI.

With the win, No. 7-seeded Minot State advances to play No. 2 seed Concordia, St. Paul (37-13) on Thursday at 3 p.m. in the NSIC quarterfinals. The loss ends the season for Northern State (25-24).

COACH’S COMMENTS
“I am extremely proud of the group effort in today’s ballgame,” Beavers coach Sal Rodriguez said. “We played a very well-rounded game. Floyd continues to throw well, we kept it clean on defense, the dugout energy was awesome, and we woke the bats up when it mattered most.”

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Beavers took the lead for good in the fifth, scoring for the first time in the inning. Minot State scored three runs in the frame, as Lohse had the game-winning hit, and RBI infield single. Sophomore Anna LaCount’s two-RBI double highlighted the inning.

The Beavers then tacked on runs in the sixth inning when they scored four times. The first three came on a three-run home run off the bat of Van Wickler, her first home run of the season. Morrison added her team-leading fourth home run as Van Wickler and Morrison went back-to-back in the four-run inning.

GAME NOTES
» Floyd tossed a three-hit shutout for the Beavers.
» Lohse had three base knocks in the game for Minot State.
» The Beavers power output was led by Van Wickler, who picked up two extra-base hits in the ballgame.
» Minot State’s highest-scoring inning was the sixth, when it pushed four runs across.
» The Beavers out-hit the Wolves at a 9-3 clip.
» Minot State went 4-for-10 (.400) with runners in scoring position.
» Minot State pitchers limited Northern State to just 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
» Minot State pitchers faced 25 Northern State hitters in the game, allowing 18 ground balls and two fly balls while striking out one.
» Van Wickler led the Beavers at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI.
» Northern State was led offensively by senior Claire Zbylut, who went 1-for-3 with a double.

This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive .

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