Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Las Vegas, Nev. – Minot State University only one bad inning in five games, but it cost the Beavers a perfect record.

Minot State split a pair of games to finish the 2013 Montana State-Billings Desert Stinger at 4-1, the school's best showing at the tournament.

The Beavers fell 5-3 in game 1 to Western New Mexico but rebounded for a 5-2 win over fellow Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference team Minnesota Duluth in the tournament's final game Sunday at Majestic Park.

“We had a great tournament,” MISU head coach Bill Triplett said. “We haven't practiced a minute outside and I felt we were just as far along as anybody down here. That's a credit to how much work the girls have put in so far in the Dome. It was a good way to start the year and if we can lock (WNM) down for one more inning, we had a chance of staying perfect here.”

The Beavers started strong in both games, continuing a trend throughout the tournament. MISU built a 3-0 lead over Western New Mexico and had a 5-0 lead against Duluth. In each game, the Beavers scored a run in the first inning.

“The top of our lineup has played very well to start the season,” Triplett said. “We have used a couple different combinations at the top and they all have produced. It just makes things a little easier when you score early.”

Minot State cruised through five innings against Western New Mexico as the Beavers score a run in each of the first three innings to lead 3-0 after three and held a 3-1 lead heading into the sixth. Starting pitcher Jen Dixon (Jr., OF/P, Brandon, Manitoba) gave up just a single, unearned run in the fourth.

But WNM scored four in the top of the sixth on six straight hits to send MISU to its first deficit of the season and ultimately its first loss.
The Beavers loaded the bases in the bottom half of the inning and had a chance in the seventh as well, but couldn't get the equalizer against Western's starting Domi Shone.

Ali Cygan (So., SS, Bozeman, Mont.) and Melissa Bell (So., C, Belgrade, Mont.) each finished with two hits and an RBI. Bell cracked her first home run of the season and scored a run.

In the finale, the Beavers scored runs in a variety of ways to take a 5-0 lead. MISU capitalized on four Duluth errors to score three unearned runs, forced in a run via a bases loaded walk and got two hits each from Dixon and Tiffany Friesen (Sr., P/3B, Morden, Manitoba). Dixon and Bell each scored two runs and Bell, Carmen Vargas (Sr., C, Cathedral City, Calif.) and Katie Backes (Jr., OF, Minot, N.D.) all had RBIs.

Mandy Greenberg (Sr., P, Winnipeg, Manitoba) was solid on the mound, going four innings of shutout ball, giving up five hits in the win. Friesen earned her second save of the tournament with three relief innings.

The Beavers are now off until their annual trip Florida during spring break.
 
– GO BEAVERS –