LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Minot State University broke out the bats from the from the start Friday to earn a split of two games at the 2017 Montana State-Billings Desert Stinger played at Majestic Park.

The Beavers hit five home runs to roll over Cal State Dominguez Hills 11-3 in six innings in the first game of the season. MSU lost the nightcap 8-2 to Cal State San Bernardino.

"What a way to start the year," said MSU head coach Bill Triplett. "I was very impressed with our intensity and competitive attitude. We hit a lot of rockets and five of them left the yard."

The Beavers wasted little time to get going in game 1. After getting out of a jam in the top of the first inning, MSU hung four on CSUDH with back-to-back home runs by Tori Zimmermann and Ashley Hill. Zimmermann hit her first career home run in a Beaver uniform, lifting a three-run HR to give MSU a 3-0 lead. Hill followed that with a solo shot for the 4-0 lead.

MSU broke it open in the second inning. Hill plated freshman Skyla Neubauer with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0 and Isis Cabral singled in two in the next at bat to make it 7-0 after two.

That's all starter Jenn Spencer needed as she cruised to a complete-game seven hitter. She gave up three earned runs and walked six to get her first win of the season.

Hill finished with three hits, two home runs and four RBIs, while Zimmermann, Lauren Cowden and Clarissa Ramirez all collected two hits. Zimmerman drove in four and hit two HRs, while Cowden smacked her first HR of the season.

In game 2, MSU took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth, but committed six errors in the game to allow CSU San Bernardino to get back into the game. CSUSB took advantage with three runs in the fifth and sixth innings and two more in the seventh. In all, MSU pitchers gave up just three earned runs of the eight scored.

"We struggled a bit defensively after grabbing a 1-0 lead on a very good pitcher," Triplett said. "But overall, we did a lot of things right today. Zimmermann and Hill had great at bats all day."

Hill finished with three more hits in game 2 and knocked in a run. Jordan Grant and Zimmermann both finished with two hits with Grant scoring a run.

Ramirez suffered the loss, giving up 11 hits and six runs in six innings, but gave up just three earned runs. Emma Casey pitched one inning in relief in her collegiate debut, giving up two unearned runs and not hits in the seventh.

MSU has two more games Saturday at Majestic Park, taking on Northwest Nazarene at 1:30 p.m. and Western Oregon at 4 p.m.

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.