MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University got a pair of solid pitching performances, three big homeruns and a milestone during its two-game sweep of the University of Sioux Falls in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference softball Friday at Herb Parker Stadium.

Jenn Spencer and Clarissa Ramirez combined to give up just nine hits and three runs in two games, Beavers' Skyla Neubauer, Jordan Branch and Ramirez all hit home runs and Jordan Grant swiped her 100th career base in the double header.

"We talked about how important momentum is between games. We got some after the first game," said MSU head coach Bill Triplett. "We want to put it together and have that carry over to the second game. Now we want that to carry over to the weekend."

Spencer was as good as she has been in her career, tossing a three-hitter for the complete-game win in game 1 and then pitched two perfect innings to earn her first save of the season in game 2.

In game 1, Spencer allowed singles in each of the first two innings and then retired nine straight and 10 of her next 12 batters. She allowed a hit and a sacrifice fly for a run in the sixth, but retired three straight in the seventh to improve to 8-7 on the season.

MSU (16-13 overall, 8-8 NSIC) got on the board in the third as Ramirez homered down the leftfield line to lead off the inning. Grant singled on a bunt, stole second and scored on Rachel Burdette's two-out double to give MSU a 2-0 lead.

The lead grew to 3-0 as Neubauer hammered a solo shot to center field in the fourth and became 5-0 as Cowden tripled home Grant and then scored on a single by Burdette in the fifth.

"We worked on (Ramirez's) legs this morning in the cage," Triplett said. "We want her to use her legs more and get the bat speed up and she did that, hitting the one down the line. The two freshmen (Neubauer and Branch) are capable of doing that, they might strike out a little, but they are young and are learning. Both are going to be great hitters for us. In a low scoring game, three home runs like that (in the series) was huge."

The Beavers finished with nine hits including three by Grant who went 3 for 4, scored two runs and stole two bases. Burdette was 2 for 3 with two RBIs for the Beavers.

Neubauer got the Beavers on the board in game 2, doubling home Isis Cabral and then scoring on Branch's fouth home run of the season and her fourth in her past nine games.

USF (21-20, 8-8) scored two runs on Ramirez in the top of the fifth, but the Beavers answered in the bottom of the inning as Grant and Cowden hit back-to-back triples with two outs to stamp out any Cougar comeback attempt.

"Jordan (Grant) sets the table so well for us," said Triplett. "If you walk her, it's a double. She's one of the best bunters and puts so much pressure on defenses. With her time from home to first, it's pretty much automatic if she gets the bunt down. And, today, she swung away a couple times and got hits to the outfield, a couple up the middle and the triple over the shortstop's head. She's having a great senior year."

Ramirez pitched five innings, giving up six hits and two runs while striking out three to improve to 6-6.

Grant was 2 for 2 with a run scored and two stolen bases. She finished with four stolen bases on the day, improving her season to 23-for-23 and finished the series with 102 in her four-year career. She is MSU's all-time leader in stolen bases.

"It's been a long time coming getting to this point with some injuries to my hamstring, but it was a great milestone," Grant said. "The key is getting a great jump and not having a tell. Some girls have a tell, a sign they are going, but I try to just stay relaxed and get a good jump."

The Beavers continue an eight-game homestand with a pair of NSIC games Saturday, taking on Southwest Minnesota State starting at 12 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.