Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 MINOT, N.D. – With the wind blowing out at Wriggly Field – or Herb Parker Stadium – home runs told the story Wednesday as Minot State slugged five in a double header sweep of Northern State in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference softball.

MISU's Jen Dixon (Sr., OF/P, Brandon, Manitoba) ripped three homers and both Melissa Bell (Jr., C, Belgrade, Mont.) and Sarah Nicks (Fr., C, Grossmont, Calif.) got into the dinger act hitting one apiece as Minot State defeated Northern State 8-0 in game 1 and 6-4 in game 2.

"We got the majority of our runs today from homers and we have some girls who are really seeing the ball right now," said MISU head coach Bill Triplett. "Jen hit a couple of shots and even a couple that she got out on, she hit the ball hard. We put in Sarah after we had a couple injuries to get her some at bats and she comes through with a grand slam."

The Beavers (23-9 overall, 10-4 NSIC) won for the 10th time in their past 11 games and moved to 7-1 at the temporary field at Herb Parker Stadium.

"We really like playing here, especially the infielders and the runners as there are no bad hops for the most part," Triplett said. "It's a great surface and a good place to play overall."

In game 1, the Beavers scored runs in the second, fourth and sixth innings to end the game in the sixth on a 3-run home run by Bell. The reigning NSIC Player of the Week went 2-for-3 with a home run and a two-run double – scoring the game's first two runs – to finish with five RBIs.

From there, Mindy Lorimor (Jr., P, Thurman, Iowa) did the rest. She allowed five hits and struck out three in her second-straight shutout win. Lorimor moved to 16-5 on the season with the win.

Dixon went 2-for-3 in the game with a three-run shot in the fourth, and Jordan Grant (Fr., CF, Adelnato, Calif.) finished with two hits and a stolen base.

Game 2 featured five more long balls as all 10 runs came off of homers. NSU (8-20, 1-11) tried to counter the Beavers bombs with two of its own, but MISU smacked three more in the win.

Dixon, who came on in the seventh to earn her first save of the year in the circle, launched two dingers in the game and went 2-for-3 in the leadoff spot.

"We have put her at the top of the order three times and we have won all three," Triplett said. "With how Mel has been hitting and with Jordan out with an injury (in game 1), we just moved her and Ali (Ali Cygan, Jr., SS, Bozeman, Mont.) up and had Mel in the third spot."

Minot State only finished with five hits in the game as NSU's Missy Elkins pitched a pretty good game, but capitalized on all of her mistakes. Along with the two HRs by Dixon, Nicks hit her first collegiate grand slam to put Minot State up 4-0 in the second.

Lorimor pitched the first two and gave way to eventual winner Alyssa Cornejo (Fr., P/2B, Riverside, Calif.), who went 3 2/3 innings giving up just three hits and two runs for her first win.

"Mindy pitched well in the first game and we got the innings out of her in the second we wanted," Triplett said. "We wanted to give Alyssa some innings too and she did fine. I said to Dixon before the seventh if they get anyone in, she was coming in and she was really steady (striking out the final two batters)."

Macey Engel and Lindsey Hubler hit homers for NSU as Engel was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Hubler was 2-for-2 with two RBIs for the Wolves.

Minot State heads out on the road after 10 straight at Minot this weekend, traveling to league-leading Minnesota State Saturday and Concordia-St. Paul Sunday.