MANKATO – The Bemidji State softball team played No. 20 Minnesota State tough in a doubleheader on Saturday in Mankato. The Beavers stayed close in both games thanks to stellar pitching, but it was their lack of offense that did them in. The Mavericks picked up 1-0 and 2-0 wins in a sweep.
In the first contest, MSU (32-10, 14-4 NSIC) scored its lone run in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI single by Cheyenne Behrends. That would be enough for MSU starter McKayla Armbruster, who fired 6 2/3 scoreless innings, recording 11 strikeouts and allowing just two hits.
Ashley Herold doubled with BSU (8-28, 5-11 NSIC) down to its final out, but she was stranded on second in the one-run loss.
Bemidji State starter Kaidron McClafferty nearly matched Armbruster with a gem of her own, going the distance with six innings of work and allowing the one run on three hits.
In game two, Minnesota State took a late lead in the fifth inning with an RBI fielder’s choice and a run-scoring single from Courtney Baxter. Once again, the Mavericks had a phenomenal pitching performance to fall back on, as Mackenzie Ward spun a complete-game shutout with just two hits allowed.
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Stella Dolan also went the distance for the Beavers, tossing six innings and striking out four but allowing two runs on eight hits.
BSU returns to the diamond against U-Mary for a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20, in Bismarck, N.D.
