MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University erupted for five runs in the fourth inning of game 1 to down Minnesota Duluth 5-3 in game 1 and earn a split with the Bulldogs in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference softball Saturday at Herb Parker Stadium.

It turned out to the only inning in which the Beavers scored in the double header as UMD rallied for a 4-0 win in game 2. MSU won for the second time in their last three games at Herb Parker and for the fourth time in their last nine games overall.

"We probably just beat the best team in our league," said MSU head coach Bill Triplett. "They are No. 5 or 6 in the region. To get to the point where we have been a couple times this year – in the seventh inning with the lead – and to shut the door and get the win against a team like that was awesome for us. It was something we really needed – a shot in the arm."

The fourth inning started ominous as UMD took a 1-0 lead in the top half. The Beavers, however, tied it on one swing by Rachel Burdette (Jr., UTL, Temecula, Calif.) as she swatted her team-leading eighth home run to right center to lead off the bottom of the inning.

MSU (16-29 overall, 5-22 NSIC) took a 2-1 lead later in the fourth as Daniela Carbajal (Fr., INF, San Marcos, Calif.) singled up the middle to score Taylor Rizzari (Fr., OF, Clearbrook, Va.). The Beavers then broke things open as Jordan Grant (Jr., CF, Adelanto, Calif.) drove in two with a bloop single to left and the lead grew to 5-1 as Burdette walked later in the inning with the bases loaded.

UMD (32-13 overall, 21-7 NSIC) got two back in the sixth on a solo home run and scored an unearned run, but the Beavers combination of Clarissa Ramirez (Jr., P/UTL, Tucson, Ariz.) and Jenn Spencer (Jr., P, Winnipeg, Manitoba) scattered the Bulldogs' seven hits to secure the win. Ramirez earned her fourth win going 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs and seven hits. Spencer notched her first save with 1 2/3 innings of relief, striking out two.

"She hits her spots," Triplett said of Ramirez. "She battles and doesn't walk anyone so if you play well behind her, she can get the job done. She did a great job of battling for us today."

In game 2, Spencer nearly duplicated her success as she went the distance, giving up nine hits and four runs – with just one earned. But she was outdueled by Sam Hartmann of UMD who scattered three hits over seven innings to stymie the Beavers.

"She had her good rise ball working and was getting ahead in the count," Triplett said of Hartmann. "Our approach with two strikes was better today, but she kept us off balance. We were right in game 2 up to the end."

It was 0-0 entering the sixth, but UMD scored two in the sixth and two more in the seventh to earn the win.

Grant finished the day with three hits, getting two of the Beavers' three in game 2. Ashley Hill (So., 1B, Mesa, Ariz.) had a hit in each game, while Burdette and Grant drove in two runs each.

MSU finishes off the regular season with a pair of home games Sunday, taking on St. Cloud State at 12 and 2 p.m. at The Herb.

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.