CLERMONT, Fla. – Minot State University's Alyssa Cornejo (Jr., P/UTL, Riverside, Calif.) twirled a three-hit, eight-inning gem to help Minot State split a pair of NCAA Division II softball games Saturday at the National Training Center Tournament.

The complete-game shutout, coupled with some timely hitting after the international tiebreaking system was used in the eighth, helped the Beavers snap a three-game losing streak with a 3-0 win over Long Island University Post in game 2. MSU fell 8-0 in five innings to Ferris State in game 1.

"We really needed to get something going," said MSU head coach Bill Triplett. "And I thought we really did that in game 2 against probably the best pitcher we have seen down here so far. We had an approach and played much better and a lot of that has to do with how P-Nut (Cornejo) pitched.

"I think that's the best I have seen her pitch in three seasons with us."

Cornejo was salty as she allowed singles in the second, fourth and sixth innings and never allowed a batter past second base until the international tiebreaker inning where teams start the inning with a runner on second. Her only burgeoning jam was subsequently erased in the sixth as she gave up a leadoff single, a stolen base and a walk, before getting a fly out and a strikeout – one of eight Ks for Cornejo.

"I felt pretty good and felt like I was getting better as the game went on," she said. "I knew we had been struggling at the plate and had some issues in the field, so I just wanted to do what I could do to turn that around. We got a couple big hits and played great defense behind me. I think we fed off the energy."

The Beavers (8-7 overall) threatened a couple times over the first seven innings stranding seven runners total. But in the eighth, MSU got two key plays to score two runs with just one hit reaching the outfield

MSU started with Kyla Larson (So., OF, Wahiawa, Hawaii) on second for the tiebreaker and moved her to third – loading the bases – with an infield single by Jordan Grant (Jr., CF, Adelanto, Calif.) and a single by Lauren Cowden (Fr., UTL, Moorpark, Calif.). Rachel Burdette (Jr., UTL, Temecula, Calif.) drove a pitch to the right side, that was smothered, eventually forcing Burdette at first, but Larson and an alert Grant scored on the play.

"She's so fast," Triplett said of Grant. "My job as the third base coach is to concentrate on the player at third to make sure we get at least one there and by the time I looked back at Jordan, she was already passed me. It was a heads up play by Jordan."

Cornejo followed that sequence two batters later with a key two-out double scoring Cowden for the 3-0 cushion.

"It's nice to get that extra run in," Cornejo said. "As a pitcher, you can really concentrate on the batter and not worry about the runner in that situation when you get the extra one and it's really nice to get two extra ones."

Cornejo outdueled LIU Post's Martin, who ended with the tough-luck loss despite giving up three runs on seven hits in eight innings.

Grant finished with two hits and score a run, while Cornejo was 1 for 4.

The win helped erase a bad feeling following game 1 as MSU was stymied at the plate for the third straight game. MSU finished with just three hits and had three errors in game 1.

"We needed to get back on track," said Cornejo. "I hope we can keep it going through the rest of the tournament."

Sydney Prigge (So., P/OF, Tacoma, Wash.) and Clarissa Ramirez (Jr., P/UTL, Tucson, Ariz.) pitched well in relief after MSU gave up six runs in the second inning, chasing an injured starter Jenn Spencer (Jr., Winnipeg, Manitoba) after just 1 1/3 innings. She gave up six runs, but all but two were unearned.

Cowden finished with two hits to lead the Beavers in game 1.

MSU has Sunday off and will get back to work Monday with a single game against Bentley University.

About Minot State
Minot State University is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and NCAA Division II offering 14 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletics programs. The NSIC is a premier NCAA DII, 16-member conference featuring teams in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa. The Beavers are the only public NCAA Division II institution in the state of North Dakota.