MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University gave up a total of six extra base hits, including three home runs as Wayne State College swept a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference softball games Saturday at Herb Parker Stadium.

The Beavers (11-11 overall, 0-4 NSIC) got home runs by Rachel Burdette (Jr., UTL, Temecula, Calif.) and Kyla Larson (So., OF, Wahiawa, Hawaii), but it was not enough as MSU dropped both, 9-2 and 12-2, to visiting WSC.

"We have to bounce back," said MSU head coach Bill Triplett. "We have two road games Tuesday and need to get ready. I think we will be ready for those games and will get things going in the right direction."

In game 1, MSU gave up three runs in the first inning and trailed 6-0 after the Wildcats (10-15, 5-1) scored twice in the third off a two-run home run by Abbie Hix. It was Hix's second two-run home run in the game and the Wildcats' third dinger in three innings.

MSU tried to rally as Burdette cut the lead to 6-2 with a two-run shot of her own in the bottom of the third, but MSU finished with just four hits in the game off WSC starter Cassy Miller.

Miller pitched six innings, giving up two runs, four hits and struck out seven MSU batters.

Clarissa Ramirez (Jr., P/UTL, Tucson, Ariz.) worked 3 1/3 innings, giving up six runs on 10 hits and struck out three to fall to 2-2 on the season.

Burdette finished with three hits, going 3 for 3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Isis Cabral (Fr., OF, Oxnard, Calif.) picked up the other MSU hit as well as a stolen base for the Beavers.

Game 2 seemed to be headed in a much lower scoring direction as MSU starter Alyssa Cornejo (Jr., P/UTL, Riverside, Calif.) and Miller were locked up in a pitcher's duel through four innings. MSU gave up a first inning run, but tied it on an unearned run in the third. WSC scored two unearned runs in the fourth to lead 3-1 before exploding for five in the fifth and tacked on another four in the seventh.

Hopefully we can get some warmer weather and (Cornejo) can get deeper in games," Triplett said. "She's hurting, but she's a competitor and will get better and better."

While WSC didn't use the home run ball in game 2, the Wildcats were able to put together multiple extra base hits, finishing with three doubles in the game.

MSU countered with a home run by Larson – her first as a Beaver – but couldn't hold the Wildcat offense down enough to earn the win.

Larson went 2 for 4 at the plate to lead the way for the Beavers. Cornejo suffered the loss going 4 2/3 innings, giving up nine hits, eight runs with six being earned – and struck out seven.

Miller gave up just one hit and one run to improve to 7-10 for WSC. Lexie Loos went 3 for 5 in game 2 and was 5 for 5 in game 1, finishing with eight of the team's 29 hits.

MSU will travel to Minnesota Crookston Tuesday and plays at Southwest Minnesota State and the University of Sioux Falls on the weekend.

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.