BEMIDJI, Minn. (BSU Softball Field) - The Bemidji State University softball team battled for 15 innings against one of the best teams in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in Wayne (Neb.) State College Sunday afternoon, but two final-inning rallies cost the Beavers a chance to end their recent six-game losing streak.

BSU (8-20, 3-13 NSIC) dropped the first game 5-1 in eight innings, and the Wildcats (31-14, 14-3 NSIC) took Game Two of the doubleheader 5-2.

Wayne State grabbed the early 1-0 lead after the first inning, but the two teams exchanged bagels all the way until the final frame. Bemidji State loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh, and Jamie Lund (So., P/OF, Grantsburn, Wisc.) hit a sac fly that drove home Mara Johnson (Sr., 2B, Bemidji, Minn.) and tied the game. Kasey Callison (Sr., 1B, Eagle River, Alaska) struck out to end the inning, and the two teams went into extra frames.

The game was busted open by the Wildcats when Katie Goetzinger hit a grand slam to give her team the decisive 5-1 advantage. BSU couldn’t respond in the home half of the eighth, and WSC took the first game while outhitting BSU 11-7.

Johnson and Amy Klaers (Sr., 3B/C, Elk River, Minn.) led the Beavers at the plate, both going 2-for-3 in the contest. Karissa Hendrickson (So., 3B/2B, Big Lake, Minn.), Bridget Smith (Jr., SS, International Falls, Minn.) and Jamie Ford (Jr., OF, Edina, Minn.) each collected hits as well.

Amy Sandstrom, Amber Baird, Goetzinger and Brittany Greenwood all collected two hits for the Wildcats.

Courtney Anderson (Fr., P, Virginia, Minn.) pitched an eight-inning gem, allowing 11 hits and five runs, with four coming on the grand slam. She struck out five and walked one to fall to 4-10 this season.

Goetzinger scattered seven hits through 8.0 innings. She had a monster performance, striking out 16 and conceding just one run and one walk in the winning effort.

The second game took awhile to get going, as neither team could plate a runner until the fourth inning. Wayne State took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth, but BSU responded with two runs of its own to tie the score at 2-2. Two more scoreless innings made way for the final frame, when again the Wildcats were able to bust open an insurmountable lead. They notched three runs in the top of the seventh to take the final 5-2 lead, and they outhit the Beavers 10-4.

Alison Willard (Sr., P, Hutchinson, Minn.) was one out away from pitching a complete game. She lasted 6.2 innings, allowing 10 hits and five runs (four earned) to fall to 3-8 on the year. Jordan Anderson (Fr., P, Sartell, Minn.) came in to record the final out.

Baird started the game and lasted 4.0 innings, allowing four hits and the two BSU runs. Goetzinger finished the game and collected her second win of the day, improving to 23-8 this season.

Hendrickson, Johnson, Klaers and Brittany Bolstad (Jr., OF, International Falls, Minn.) each had hits for BSU, and Johnson and Klaers scored the two runs.

Sandstrom and Baird collected two hits to pace Wayne State, and Baird scored twice.

Bemidji State will play host to its third doubleheader in three days Monday when the team takes on Northern State University. Games will start at 2:00 p.m. at BSU Softball Field.

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