DULUTH, Minn. – Minot State University fell short in both games, ending the regular season with a pair of losses on the road at Minnesota Duluth in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference softball Sunday at Malosky Stadium.
 
The Beavers (32-21 overall, 13-17) dropped a 3-0 decision to the Bulldogs in game 1 and then couldn't finish off a comeback, falling 9-8 in game 2. The pair of losses ended the season for Minot State as they could not climb up the standings, finishing just a game back of Southwest Minnesota State, who finished in the 10th and final playoff position.
 
In game 1, MSU finished with just two hits off Minnesota Duluth's Cayli Sadler as she twirled a shutout to move to 18-10.  Minot State got a two-out, first-inning single from Ali Cygan (Sr., SS, Bozeman, Mont.) and another two-out single from Jordan Grant in the fifth but could not advance either past first base.
 
In fact, Minot State only had one runner reach second against Sadler as Rylee Cygan (Fr., C, Bozeman, Mont.) walked and moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Grant in the third. Sadler, however, got out of the inning with two of her nine strikeouts to end the threat.
 
Minot State starter Mindy Lorimor (Sr., P, Thurman, Iowa) pitched well in the loss s she gave up just three runs on eight hits. UMD plated two in the fifth and scored one in the sixth to account for all the runs in the game.
 
Hannah Schmoll and Sami Schnyder both went 2 for 4 for UMD with Schmoll driving in two.
 
Game 2 was as slugfest compared to game 1 as UMD (33-20, 17-13) leads of 1-0, 5-4 and 9-4 before holding off the Beavers.
 
After the Bulldogs took the 1-0 lead in the third, MSU responded with four in the top of the fourth on a grand slam by Alyssa Cornejo (So., P/UTL, Riverside, Calif.). UMD countered with four of their own in the bottom half of the fourth with the biggest blow coming on a two-RBI double by Ashley Lewis.
 
The Bulldogs pushed the lead to 9-4 with another four-spot in the fifth, getting two on a two-run home run by Becky Smith.
 
MSU rallied in the sixth to cut it to 9-8 as Grant plated two with a double to right and Ali Cygan pushed across two more with a double down the left field line. The Beavers couldn't get another to finish with their eighth one-run loss on the season and their seventh single-run loss in conference play.
 
UMD's Sam Hartmann gave up eight hits and seven runs, but earned her 14th win on the season. Lewis went 3 for 3 with three RBIs and two runs scored to pace the Bulldogs, while Smith went 2 for 4 with two RBIs.

Cygan ended her decorated MSU career with a 3-for-4 day, driving in two. Grant went 2 for 4 with two RBIs, senior Leyna Downey (OF, Missoula, Mont.) went 2 for 4 in her final game and Cornejo drove in four with the grand slam.