BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Bemidji State University Softball team plays its first home games this week as it hosts University of Minnesota, Duluth Tuesday, Apr. 11 at Chet Anderson Stadium for a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader. The Beavers start the doubleheader at noon against the Bulldogs in the first of three straight home series.
 
Last weekend the Beavers were on the road against Winona State University and Upper Iowa University where they went 1-3. Bemidji State started the weekend at Winona State and fell 1-2 and 2-10 in the doubleheader before splitting the series with Upper Iowa winning game one 5-1 before falling in game two 4-6. The Beavers are 13-15 on the season and 2-4 in the NSIC.
 
Molly Houts is coming off a successful weekend after going .417 at the plate with five hits and one home run over four games. Ashley Herold recorded her first home run of the season in game one against the Peacocks and did not take long for her second coming in game two. Herold leads the Beavers with 18 RBI's. Mariah Stevenson is first for BSU in batting average (.354), slugging percentage (.524) and on base percentage (.418) through the first two thirds of the season.
 
Senior Kyla Damerow (4-8) now leads Bemidji State with a 3.87 ERA after pitching 4.1 perfect innings to start the game against Upper Iowa in her last action. Damerow leads the way in the conference with three saves. Junior Stella Dolan (8-6) has tallied 52 strikeouts through 81.2 innings pitched with a 4.20 ERA.  Dolan's 52 k's rank 13^th in the NSIC and has only walked 18 batters, walking one batter per every 4.5 innings.
 
Scouting Minnesota Duluth
The Bulldogs are 24-7 overall and 10-2 in the NSIC, going 3-1 on the weekend sweeping Concordia University-St. Paul 11-1 and 3-2 and splitting the series with Minnesota State University, Mankato, winning 3-1 and then falling 0-3. BSU and UMD have met twice this season already with the Bulldogs taking both games. UMD is batting .288, ninth in the NSIC and is first in the NSIC with an ERA of 1.42. Minnesota Duluth is led by senior Sidney Zavoral batting .349 and batted in 21 runs through 29 games. The Bulldogs pitching is led by senior Mady Stariha and junior Lauren Dixon both with an ERA under 2.00 at 1.38 and 1.70, respectively. Dixon leads the conference in strike outs totaling 124 through 84.2 innings worked. The Bulldogs are coached by Lynn Anderson in her first season.     
 
For more information on the Bemidji State Softball program, follow the Beavers on Twitter (@BSUBeavers), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) or sign up for the TXTUpdates from BSUBeavers.com text-messaging system through the "Multimedia" pull down menu on the main page of BSUBeavers.com.
 
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association 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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