BEMIDJI, Minn. – Minot State University carried a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning of game 2, but couldn't lock down the win as Bemidji State swept a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games Wednesday at the BSU Softball Field.

The MSU Beavers (15-28 overall, 4-21 NSIC) gave up three runs in the bottom of the seventh to spoil a fine pitching performance from starter Jenn Spencer (Jr., Winnipeg, Manitoba) and reliever Clarissa Ramirez (Jr., Tucson, Ariz.), who had combined for a four-hitter coming into the inning.

"We were so close again," said MSU head coach Bill Triplett. "We just couldn't lock it down. It's been frustrating coming up on the short end of a lot of those types of games, but I guess that means we have been in a lot of games as well. We need to keep learning from these close games and get better because of them."

BSU (29-15, 12-9) completed the sweep however, getting three in the inning for a 5-4 win in game 2 after winning 4-2 in game 1.

MSU built the 4-2 lead behind a pair of RBIs from Daniela Carbajal (Fr., INF, San Marcos, Calif.) and a solo home run by Alyssa Cornejo (Jr., P/UTL, Riverside, Calif.). Cornejo hit her sixth home run of the season and Carbajal was 1 for 2 in the game with the pair of RBIs as MSU finished with six hits from six different players.

Spencer worked two hitless innings – her seventh and eighth innings on the day – before giving way to Ramirez in the third. Ramirez locked BSU down, allowing just a pair of runs in the third inning, but cruised from there. She ended up giving up seven hits, five runs, but just two of those earned with three strikeouts in the game.

In game 1, MSU struggled to string together hits against Bemidji State's starter. Rachel Burdette (Jr., UTL, Temecula, Calif.) hit a solo home run in the fourth and Ashley Hill (So., 1B, Mesa, Ariz.) drove in Jordan Grant (Jr., CF, Adelanto, Calif.) in the sixth, but MSU couldn't get the equalizer. Burdette, Hill and Grant were the only MSU players to finish with a hit in the game. Grant, who went 1 for 3 with a run scored, stole her 26th base of the season setting up the Hill RBI double.

The loss in game 1 spoiled a solid start by Spencer, who worked the distance, giving up seven hits and four runs while striking out nine. She only allowed runs in one inning, but BSU scored four in the bottom of the third to take a 4-0 lead.

"Jenn was really good for us again," Triplett said. "She's pitched pretty well down the stretch. (Her pitching) just wasn't quite enough today."

MSU returns to Minot for its final games of the season, playing host to Minnesota Duluth Saturday and St. Cloud State Sunday at Herb Parker Stadium.

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.