ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The Bemidji State University softball team dropped to 0-4 to start the 2022 season by falling to Northwestern College (Iowa) and University of Sioux Falls on the second day of the Kelly Laas Softball Tournament in St. Cloud, Minn.

The Beavers began the day by falling to Northwestern 6-5 in eight innings and then fell to Sioux Falls 5-1 in game two.

The Beavers battled tough against the Raiders in the day's first game playing to extra innings. Northwestern started the scoring with a solo home run in the second inning but the Beavers responded in the bottom half of the inning with a solo home run from junior Ashley Herold, the Beavers' first home run of the season.

Bemidji State would take a 2-1 lead over the Raiders in the third inning off of an RBI single from Mariah Stevenson but NWC would answer in the fifth to tie the game after scoring an unearned run. Northwestern took a 4-2 lead over the Beavers in the seventh after an RBI single and RBI double in the inning but the Beavers were able to responded in the bottom of the seventh when Molly Houts hit a two-RBI single to tie the game at four. 

In the eighth inning, the Raiders would score two runs to take a 6-4 lead while the Beavers could only muster one run in the bottom of the eighth to fall 6-5 in the game.

Freshman Alexa Christenson paced the Beavers with three hits and two runs scored Houts, Stevenson, Herold and Elaina Christiansen all recorded an RBI.

Sophomore Stella Dolan started the game and pitched 6.2 innings and allowed four runs, one earned, off of seven hits but was awarded the no decision after senior Kaidron McClafferty came into pitch 1.1 innings in relief and allowed the game-winning run in the eighth inning. She falls to 0-2 on the season.

The Beavers' offense was held to just one run off of six hits by the Cougar's pitching staff in game two of the day and fell to Northern Sun Intercollegiate opponents USF, 5-1.

Sioux Falls began the scoring with a run in the third then added another in the fourth before scoring three runs in the fifth inning for the 5-0 lead. The Beavers scored their lone run in the seventh inning when Grace Bragg came in to score off of a wild pitch. 

Elaina Christiansen and Alexa Christenson each paced the team with two hits.

McClafferty started in the circle for game two for the Bevers and allowed two runs, one earned off of three hits in three innings of work. She was replaced by Kyla Damerow who pitched three innings and allowed three runs off of seven hits and Stella Dolan who pitched one inning and didn't allow a hit. 

Bemidji State closes out play at the tournament tomorrow morning by facing Southwest Minnesota State University at 11 a.m., looking for its first win of the season.

Nestled in Northern Minnesota's wooded region and located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). 

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