MINOT, N.D. -- Minot State will open Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament play on Thursday (May 3) against Concordia-St. Paul at Bowden Field in Sioux Falls, S.D.

This will mark the Beavers fourth NSIC Tournament appearance in six years and their second straight after not qualifying in both 2015 and 2016. Minot State brings an all-time tournament record of 7-6 into the 2018 tournament, which includes a championship game appearance in 2013. Minot State has faced Concordia-St. Paul just once in the NSIC Tournament and the Golden Bears downed the Beavers 5-4 in the 2014 tournament.

The Beavers and Golden Bears concluded the regular season on Sunday and Minot State swept Concordia-St. Paul 11-4 and 9-7. The Beavers scored seven runs in the top of the ninth inning of game one and then overcame a 7-3 deficit in game two to complete the sweep.

Minot State, which is the ninth seed in the tournament, hit .356 in the two games over the weekend led by senior Kyla Larson who was 5-for-9 with a homer and six RBIs. The Beavers belted five home runs in the doubleheader as Lauren Cowden, Isis Cabral, Tori Zimmermann and Haley Hernandez also left the yard for Minot State.

Laura Mendez picked up both victories in the circle for the Beavers as she went 14.0 innings in the two games and allowed five earned runs while striking out nine batters.

Zimmermann leads the Beavers offensively as she is hitting .449 on the year with 10 homers and 43 RBIs. Julia Suchan ranks second on the team with a .424 batting average, while Cabral comes into tournament play batting .414 on the season.

The winner of the Minot State-Concordia-St. Paul game will advance to the second round to meet regular season champion Winona State at 2 p.m. at Bowden Field. The loser of the game will meet the loser of the third-seeded Minnesota Duluth and sixth-seeded Sioux Falls game at 4 p.m. at Sherman Park.

The champion of the NSIC Tournament will be determined on Saturday (May 5).

2018 NSIC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Thursday, May 3
No. 9 Minot State vs. No. 8 Concordia-St. Paul, 10 a.m.
No. 10 Southwest Minnesota State vs. No. 7 Minnesota State, 10 a.m.
No. 5 Northern State vs. No. 4 St. Cloud State, 12 p.m.
No. 6 Sioux Falls vs. No. 3 Minnesota Duluth, 12 p.m.
Minot State/Concordia-St. Paul winner vs. No. 1 Winona State, 2 p.m.
Southwest Minnesota State winner vs. No. 2 Augustana, 2 p.m.
Northern State/St. Cloud State loser vs. Southwest Minnesota State/Minnesota State loser, 4 p.m.
Minot State/Concordia-St. Paul loser vs. Sioux Falls/Minnesota Duluth loser, 4 p.m.

Friday, May 4
10 a.m. - two games
12 p.m. - two games
2 p.m. - two games

Saturday, May 5
10 a.m. - one game
12 p.m. - one game
2 p.m. - one game
4 p.m. - one game (if necessary)

NSIC Tournament Bracket