Game 1 - Wayne State 7 Minnesota Crookston 4   
        
            Game 2 - Wayne State 9 Minnesota Crookston 5        

            Wayne State swept Minnesota Crookston 7-4 and 9-5 Monday afternoon, in an NSIC double header played in Wayne after a site reversal moved the contests to the Pete Chapman Softball Complex. The 'Cats improve to 15-30 overall and 12-12 in the NSIC while Minnesota Crookston falls to 5-17 in the conference and 14-33 overall.
            The Wildcats scored first in the opener, taking three runs in the top of the second. With two outs and nobody on, senior Kamryn Sparks earned a walk to start the two-out rally. Emily Hale, a graduate student, moved Sparks over with an infield single. Senior Kortney Buresh loaded the bases with a single of her own. Junior Riley Holmberg hit a ball off of the pitcher, scoring all three baserunners. After two innings of play, WSC held a 3-0 lead.
            WSC would get a hit in the top of the third, but left a runner stranded keeping the score at 3-0.
            The fourth inning was the only inning that the Wildcats failed to record a hit, and in the bottom half of the frame, Minnesota Crookston put up four runs of their own. The Golden Eagles used four hits and a Wildcat error to take the lead 4-3.
            Buresh led off the seventh inning with a double, her third hit in the game. Buresh would move over to third on a throwing error by the Golden Eagles on a Holmberg hit. Holmberg stole second before senior Kim Vidlak hit a single to centerfield, scoring both baserunners. Wayne State continued the hot bats with a single from junior Madison Gomez, scoring Vidlak from third. Senior Michaela Smith came in to pinch hit, and came up big with an RBI double to right center. In all, the 'Cats had four runs on five hits, with one runner left on base. Heading into the bottom of the seventh, WSC held a 7-4 lead.
            In the bottom of the inning, the Wildcats retired the Golden Eagles in order, taking game one 7-4.
            Wayne State outhit Minnesota Crookston 13-5 with each team having an error.
            Freshman Samantha Felt (7-8) picked up the win for the 'Cats, throwing 2.2 innings of relief with one strikeout and no walks. Starting pitcher Callie Carraher threw 4.1 innings, allowing five hits and four earned runs with six strikeouts.
            Offensively, Buresh and Holmberg each had three hits in the contest. Holmberg and Vidlak each had two RBI for the 'Cats.
 
            The Golden Eagles came out hot in the second game, scoring three runs on three hits in the bottom of the first, opening a 3-0 lead after one.
            Wayne State got a run back in the third. Buresh would reach base on a fielding error before stealing second, coming in to score on a single from Vidlak, making the score 3-1 through three innings.
            The 'Cats would get another run back in the fourth, this time using a double from Gomez to lead off the inning. She would move to third on a groundout from junior Paiton Tornberg. Sparks would hit a sacrifice lineout to right field to score Gomez.
            The Wildcats would again keep the Golden Eagles off of the scoreboard in the fourth and fifth, cutting the Minnesota Crookston lead to 3-2 through five innings.
            Gomez started off the sixth with a single through the middle and moved to third on a double from Tornberg. Sophomore Mary Krystofiak had an RBI single, scoring Gomez and moving Tornberg to third. Sparks would reach base on a fielder's choice, scoring Tornberg and moving Krystofiak to second. A single from Holmberg and a bases loaded walk from Vidlak added another run for the Wildcats.
            With the bases loaded and two outs, sophomore Jenna Etmans hits her sixth homer of the season, clearing the bags with a grand slam to left field. After an offensive explosion for the 'Cats in the sixth (seven runs on five hits), WSC led 9-3.
            Felt sat down the Minnesota Crookston batters in order in the bottom of the frame, and heading to the final inning, WSC held a 9-3 lead.
            After getting two hits in the top of the seventh, WSC wasn't able to add any more runs and headed to the bottom of the seventh up 9-3.
            Felt gave up a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh, but got out of the inning, securing the win for WSC.
            Wayne State outhit Minnesota Crookston 13-9 in the second game, with the Golden Eagles committing the games only two errors.
            Felt (8-8) got the win for the 'Cats throwing 2.2 innings of relief, this time allowing two runs to the Golden Eagles on two hits and two walks. Starter Hadley Chvatal threw 4.1 innings with three strikeouts giving up three earned runs on seven hits.
            Tornberg went 3-for-4 with a run scored in the game while Etmans had 4 RBI to lead the 'Cats.
            The Wildcats will be on the road Wednesday for an NSIC doubleheader at Sioux Falls starting at 2 p.m.