MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University starting pitching tandem of Mindy Lorimor (Sr., Thurman, Iowa) and Alyssa Cornejo (So., Riverside, Calif.) stymied Minnesota State University Moorhead batters all afternoon.

Lorimor rebounded from a leadoff solo home run to pitch a four hitter in a 3-2 win in game 1 and Cornejo scattered nine hits for a 2-0 shutout as MSU ended a six-game losing skid with a sweep of the Dragons in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference softball Tuesday at South Hill Complex.

"Mindy got our team back in the dugout right away and that's huge for us. And we won a 2-0 game today, which was great for P-Nut (Cornejo)," said MSU head coach Bill Triplett. "We pounded the zone and neither pitcher threw as hard as they can, but they were efficient. Mindy and Cornejo are going to have to be the two for us the rest of the year."

The Beavers (26-16 overall, 7-12 NSIC) moved to 2-0 all time in conference games as South Hill as the team finally played a home game at its designated home. Over the past three seasons in the league, various factors have moved games away from the complex to away fields or the turf at Herb Parker Stadium.

"These were huge," Triplett said. "If we drop one or two of these and the hope to get to the tournament is probably done. We have to leapfrog too many teams to lose games now. But, even though we have to leapfrog Bemidji State, (University of) Mary, St. Cloud (State), (Minnesota) Duluth, we have those team in front of us on the schedule. There is light at the end of the tunnel and the team hasn't given up, they are still fighting and have good attitudes. Maybe with these today we can start some things."

In game 1, Mollie Annen staked the Dragons (11-21, 1-17) to a 1-0 lead with the leadoff shot and Brittany York singled two batters later.

But Lorimor settled in from there. She cut down York on a double play by first baseman Ashley Hill (Fr., Mesa, Ariz.) and allowed just two hits from there on out. She gave up just one earned run and struck out three to move to 16-11 on the season.
The Beavers got the run back quickly as Rachel Burdette (So., UTL, Temecula, Calif.) doubled down the leftfield line scoring Hill and Melissa Bell (Sr., UTL, Belgrade, Mont.) in the bottom of the first. Hill gave the Beavers an insurance run with a solo home run, her eighth of the season tying her with Burdette for the team lead, in the fourth.

"Rachel is really swinging it well right now. She has two home runs today if it were normal conditions," said Triplett. "Ashley has 45 or so RBIs as a freshman. Those guys are getting it done."

It turned out the Beavers needed it as the Dragons loaded the bases in the sixth on a walk, an error and a single and scored a run as Taylor Huss drove in a run with an infield fly ball that MSU allowed to fall. But Lorimor got Morgan Nybo to ground out to short to end the threat.

York finished with two hits for MSUM, while Nybo was the losing pitcher, going six innings, giving up six hits and three runs.

Hill went 2 for 3 for MSU with two runs and the RBI, while Burdette drove in two with the double.

Game 2 saw MSUM get runners on base, only to have Cornejo dig deep to retire the side. The Dragons left two on base in each of the first three innings and again in the fifth and sixth innings. Cornejo struck out the final batter, however, in the first, second and third to keep the shutout intact.

Meanwhile, Minot State manufactured two runs in the third to take a 2-0 lead. Rylee Cygan (Fr., C, Bozeman, Mont.) walked and later scored on a bases loaded groundout by big sister Ali Cygan (Sr., SS, Bozeman, Mont.), while Jordan Grant (So., CF, Adelnato, Calif.) singled after Rylee Cygan's walk and scored on a short sacrifice fly by Hill for the 2-0 lead.

"We didn't get a lot of hits in game 2, but we were patient and Rylee draws a big walk to get that inning going," Triplett said. "We didn't get a ton of hits in either game, but we got some big ones."

York again did the damage offensively for MSUM, collecting three hits, while Huss added two. Kristen Nordby suffered the loss, going three innings, giving up just three hits and two runs, while Carly Williamson gave up just a hit in three innings in relief for the Dragons.

Cornejo moved to 8-4 on the season with the nine-hitter. Grant, Bell, Hill and Leyna Downey (Sr., OF, Missoula, Mont.) collected hits for MSU, while Bell and Downey rapping out doubles.

The Beavers will have a makeup game at the University of Mary Wednesday before continueing a home stand with Concordia University, St. Paul Saturday and Minnesota State Sunday at South Hill.