MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University finished the home regular season schedule with some fireworks.
 
Freshman Ashley Hill (1B, Mesa, Ariz.) smacked a sixth inning grand slam to end game 2, giving MSU a sweep of Bemidji State 3-1 and 10-2 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference softball Wednesday at South Hill Complex.
 
While the walk off, grand slam wasn't the dramatic, game-winning type, it might turn out to be a huge key in the Beavers' run towards the NSIC tournament.
 
"It kept us from having to send Mindy (MSU starter Mindy Lorimor, Sr., P, Thurman, Iowa) back out there or have P-Nut (Alyssa Cornejo, So., P/UTL, Riverside, Calif.) throw with a sore arm," said MSU head coach Bill Triplett. "So, yeah, it wasn't a dramatic one, but it could be a big one for us."
 
The wins give Minot State (31-18 overall, 12-14) its sixth-straight season with 30 or more wins and put the Beavers in a tie for 11th with St. Cloud State in the NSIC, a game back of Minnesota Duluth. The top 10 team make the NSIC tournament, which starts next week in Sioux Falls., S.D.
 
Lorimor pitched all 13 innings for two wins to move to 21-13 overall. She made just two mistakes all day, giving up a pair of solo home runs to Lexi Ripka in game 2. In all, she up just six hits total, three runs and two earned runs, while striking out 15 batters.
 
Triplett had Cornejo up and warming in the bullpen in between innings in game 2 and was set to bring her in to pitch the seventh, but is glad things worked out the way they did.
 
"Mindy prefers this. I think she would like to be the only pitcher on the roster if possible," he said. "We wanted her to come out in the seventh in game 2 because we really wanted to save her for this weekend. It was a blessing to not have to change in the next inning. Mindy wants the ball and wants to have it all the time and I like having a player who thinks like that."
 
In game 1, Lorimor was dominant as she struck out 11 batters and gave up just two hits and an unearned run in the top of the seventh. She faced just 24 batters in seven innings.
 
Minot State collected eight hits in game 1 with three coming from Jordan Grant (So., CF, Adelnato, Calif.) at the leadoff spot. She also scored two runs. Melissa Bell (Sr., UTL, Belgrade, Mont.) and Hill both drove in runs – Hill two on a pair of sacrifice flies.
 
BSU's Jessica Yost suffered the loss in the circle, while Jackie Braiedy drove in the lone run for Bemidji (17-25, 8-18).
 
Minot State scored two run in the first in both games to stake Lorimor to leads. In game 2, MSU built on that early lead much of the contest. After taking a 3-0 lead, Ripka swatted the first of her two HRs to cut the lead to 3-1, but MSU answered right back with two in the fifth. When Ripka hit a solo shot in the sixth, the Beavers scored five in the bottom half.
 
"We were a little too patient in the first game, struck out a few too many times looking against a pitcher who shouldn't be striking us out like that," Triplett said. "It's good that we are picky, but you have to protect better after two strikes. But, overall, we hit the pretty well today."
 
Hill finished with five RBIs as she added another sacrifice fly to her grand slam. She has a team-leading 52 RBIs on the season to go along with nine HRs.
 
Bell and Ali Cygan (Sr., SS, Bozeman, Mont.) finished their home careers with two hits apiece as Bell drove in two and Cygan one. Rachel Burdette (So., UTL, Temecula, Calif.) drove in two as well.
 
Minot State finishes the regular season with a pair of NSIC road games, taking on St. Cloud State Saturday and Minnesota Duluth Sunday.