Box Score SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Minot State University softball can't seem to solve Minnesota State at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament.

The Beavers pushed the No. 5 team in the country, but fell for the third time in a row against the Mavericks in the NSIC tournament over the past two seasons, losing 3-1 in the second round of the 2014 NSIC Tournament Thursday at Sherman Park.

"I thought in several facets of the game, we played well enough to win," said MISU head coach Bill Triplett. "Unfortunately we gave up that early unearned one and it was 1-0 for much of the game. We should have got one in the first (after getting two hits in the inning) and led 1-0, but instead it was them up."

Minot State (29-10 overall) improved to 5-2 in two seasons in the tournament with a win over Upper Iowa in the first game to earn a third crack at the Mavericks. MISU fell in a pair of 2-1 games last year, including that score in the NSIC Championship game in 2013. The Beavers are now 5-3 in the tournament with all three loses coming from Minnesota State.

This time around, it was another pitcher's duel as Minot State's Mindy Lorimor (Jr., P, Thurman, Iowa) and NSIC Pitcher of the Year Coley Ries kept their respective teams in the game despite a completely different approach.

Lorimor, who suffered the loss despite going six innings, allowing 10 hits and three runs – two earned – with three strikeouts, got the Beavers to the sixth down just 1-0. She ended giving up a key two-run single to Lindsay Erickson in the seventh to give the Mavericks some cushion.

"Mindy pitched very, very well and it too bad she didn't get that win," Triplett said. "We need to shake this one off and get ready for whoever comes our way."

Reis, who moved to 22-4 on the season, struck out 14 Minot State batters on her way to the win. She had a shutout going into the seventh until MISU's Alyssa Cornejo (Fr., 2B/P, Riverside, Calif.) stroked her seventh home run – a solo shot with two outs – to cut the lead to two runs.

But Minot State wasn't able to string enough hits together to take the lead. MISU got two more hits from Jen Dixon (Sr., OF/P, Brandon, Manitoba), who is 4-for-7 in the tournament, and a hit apiece from Darlene Truong (Jr., C, Escondido, Calif.), Ali Cygan (Jr., SS, Bozeman, Mont.) and Cornejo.

Erickson paced the Mavericks with three hits, while Samantha Holien went 2-for-4 with a run scored in the win.

The Beavers move on to play the winner of the University of Sioux Falls/Concordia-St. Paul loser out game with first pitch set for tomorrow at 10 a.m.