Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CLERMONT, Fla. – There were definitely some tense moments in the Florida finale.

Minot State rallied from a 2-0 deficit and staved off a rally to defeat the University of Wisconsin-Stout 6-3 in the final of a 10-game road swing through the Sunshine State.

The rally, coupled with a 7-1 win over New York Institute of Technology, gave the Beavers a perfect record in Florida and sent Minot State to its 15th straight win in NCAA Division II softball at the National Training Center Tournament Saturday.

“We were definitely in a ball game today,” said MISU head coach Bill Triplett. “I am very proud of how we responded today and how we played in this tournament. We are flying pretty high right now.”

The Beavers (18-1 overall, 0-0 NSIC) put all three phases of the game together nearly every time out during the road trip, allowing more than one run twice as Stout matched the most runs scored on MISU during the tournament. The Beavers held a 62-11 scoring advantage in the 10 games.

“We had a bunch of different players step up for us during the week and our top kids consistently made plays as well,” Triplett said. “I was very happy with our pitching staff in general and today, when we were in a little trouble, they shut things down. We have a chance to win every time out when we pitch like we have here.”

In the first game against NYIT, Minot State scored multiple runs in the first, third and fourth innings to pull away. Tiffany Friesen (Sr., P/3B, Morden, Manitoba) and Stacy Fournier (Jr., 3B, Langley, British Columbia) singled home runs in the first to give Mandy Greenberg (Sr., P, Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Jen Dixon (Jr., OF/P, Brandon, Manitoba) as many runs as they would need.

Greenberg earned her ninth win of the season with four innings of shutout ball, while Dixon gave up just four hits and an unearned run in relief for her first save of the year.

Fournier had a great game, missing the cycle by a just a double. She tripled home Friesen in the third and belted her second home run – a solo shot – in the fourth. Dixon also homered in the fourth, her fourth of the year.

Stout got out to a two run lead with a triple and a pair of singles in the first and held that until the third.

The Beavers got two back in the third as Dixon and Friesen drove in runs with fielder's choices. Friesen struck again in the fifth with a single to drive in two. She finished with four RBIs despite having just one hit, knocking in another run in the seventh with sacrifice fly.

Friesen also worked four solid innings for the win in the circle. She gave up just five hits and the two first-inning runs. Greenberg cleaned up the final three innings, giving up one unearned run on just one hit, while striking out seven for the save.

Dixon finished with two more hits and two RBIs, bringing her season batting average to .550 on the season. Her 4-for-8 day actually lowered her season average from .554 to .550. She had 18 hits in the tournament and 12 RBIs. Brittany Thorson (Fr., SS/P, El Paso, Texas) finished with two hits as well and Ali Cygan (So., SS, Bozeman, Mont.) scored three runs for the Beavers.

Minot State is scheduled to begin its first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schedule at the University of Mary March 26 for a double header. The Beavers are also set to begin their home NSIC schedule March 29 (University of Sioux Falls) and March 30 (Southwest Minnesota State).

– GO BEAVERS –