SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Minot State University couldn't quite hang on for the sweep.

The Beavers pitching staff of Mandy Greenberg (Sr., Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Tiffany Friesen (Sr., Morden, Manitoba) stymied Augustana College to the tune of one run over the first 12 innings pitched

But the Vikings struck for four runs in the bottom of the sixth of game 2 with Minot State holding a 2-0 lead to salvage a split as MISU won game 1 2-1 and AC game 2 4-2 in the Northern Intercollegiate Conference regular season finale for both squads Sunday at Bowden Field.

“We came within a couple pitches of sweeping the No. 5 ranked team in the region, so we are a little disappointed in not being able to finish this one off, but I am really pleased with how we played on this road trip,” said MISU head coach Bill Triplett. “We put ourselves in a good spot with a two-run lead in the sixth with Mandy pitching. They just got a couple key hits late.”

The Beavers (36-6 overall, 18-5 NSIC) finished their first season in the Northern Sun by winning 10 of their final 12 games and will finish no worse than fourth in the conference. Minot State, which was ranked seventh in the latest Central Region poll, could move up as Augie dropped three of four over the weekend and No. 3 Winona State went 3-3 on the week. MISU was 5-1 during the same stretch.

“We feel like we did what we needed to do to finish in the top 5 in the region,” Triplett said. “But our focus isn't on the poll right now, it's on going to the Northern Sun tournament and continuing to play at a high level.”

Greenberg cruised through six innings in game 1 before giving up a single run and two of the Vikings' three hits in the seventh. She got out of a jam in the seventh to finish with her 21st win of the season, allowing three hits and one run with seven strikeouts.

The top of the order made the difference at the plate for the Beavers as leadoff batter Ali Cygan (So., SS, Bozeman, Mont.) and No. 2 hitter Melissa Bell (So., C, Belgrade, Mont.) combined to got 6-for-7 with two stolen bases each, an RBI and a run scored. Bell went 3-for-3. Carmen Vargas (Sr., C, Cathedral City, Calif.) also collected two hits and knocked in a run.

Game 2 seemed to be on the same path as game 1 as the Beavers carried a 2-0 lead into the sixth on Jen Dixon's (Jr., OF/P, Brandon, Manitoba) 11th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the top of the fifth.

But the Vikings (30-13, 17-9) rallied behind three hits and two hit batters to score four runs in the sixth to help Jenelle Trautmann earn her 24th win of the season. Jenny Brown and Chelsi Winskowski both knocked in two in the inning.

Katie Backes (Jr., UTL, Minot, N.D.) finished with two hits for the Beavers to pace the offense. Greenberg suffered the loss, giving up one earned run (three overall) in an inning of relief. Friesen went 5 innings, giving up six hits and no earned runs.

Minot State begins play in the NSIC conference tournament in Rochester, Minn., Thursday.