Bemidji, Minn.- The Huskies got a no-hit shutout and a thirteen run outburst to sweep the Beavers of Bemidji State on Sunday afternoon. St. Cloud State took game one 4-0 and claimed a 13-7 victory in game two.

 

Freshman pitcher Kelly Franks threw her first career no-hitter in game one against the Beavers. Franks retired all but two Bemidji State hitters on the day. A batter reached on an error in the third and Franks gave up a walk in the fifth but neither derailed Franks who finished the day with eight strikeouts.

The game was scoreless until the top of the fifth when junior Mikayla Hogan doubled to center field to bring in junior Kelly Olson from first base and give the Huskies a one run lead. St. Cloud State added three more in the seventh to make it a 4-0 final. Hogan finished the game 3-4 with three doubles and two rbi. Senior Chris Saiz was also 3-4 with an rbi and junior Jordan Grell had two hits and an rbi as well.

St. Cloud State put up a five run third inning in game two to jump out to another lead. Bemidi State battled back with a run in the third and four more in the fourth to tie the game at 5-5. The Huskies came right back with a huge seven run inning in the fifth. They added one more in the top half of the seventh. The Beavers put up two runs in the bottom of the seventh to make it a 13-7 final score.

"Kelly Franks and the defense picked up a no hitter in the first game which was really fun to be a part of!" said head coach Paula U’Ren. "The bats came alive and we picked up key hits and got the ball to find some open space to push the runners across. We have been getting runners on all year and today we found those key hits to set the tempo for the day."

Hogan once again had three hits for the Huskies and knocked in two runs. Hogan finished the afternoon with six hits, including five doubles, and four runs batted in. Grell and Olson each had a pair of rbi in the second game of the day for St. Cloud State. Saiz had two hits and an rbi, giving her a five hits on the day. Senior Jackie Dooley had two hits, an rbi, and scored two runs for the Huskies in game two. Freshman Samantha Kanak and junior Nicole Steinle each had an rbi and scored a run.

Freshman Kendra Merritt started on the hill for SCSU and went four innings, giving up five runs on four hits while striking out three. Franks worked the fifth inning for the Huskies and was credited with the win. Franks gave up three singles in the inning but struck out the side to keep the Beavers from scoring. Sophomore Jackie Manrique finished off the last two innings for St. Cloud State, surrendering the two runs and two hits. Manrique also had a pair of strike outs. Franks now holds a record of 7-8 on the season.

U’Ren continued by saying, "The second game was a great offensive outing for the team as we played through some very cold, very rainy conditions. We wanted this win really bad and just kept fighting to put the game out of reach. Manrique did a great job of coming in and closing out the last two innings."

 

"It was a great bounce back day for us! We have been playing really solid ball the last several weeks but have just been coming up a little short on the scoreboard, so today it felt good to get the win and get ready for Mankato on Tuesday!"

SCSU (20-26, 6-14 NSIC) will now head to Mankato for a pair of games with the 11th-ranked Mavericks of Minnesota State on Tuesday. They will wrap up the regular season with doubleheaders at Selke Field in St. Cloud on Saturday (April 21) against MSU Moorhead and Sunday (April 22) versus Minnesota, Crookston. Game one on both days is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start.