SIOUX FALLS, SD – Winona State head coach Greg Jones won his 500th career game as the Warrior softball team swept Augustana in a NSIC doubleheader Tuesday in Sioux Falls, SD.
Box Score Game 1 I
Box Score Game 2
After winning a back-and-forth 6-4 affair in the opener, the Warriors shut out Augustana 6-0 in game two to help Jones reach the milestone victory.
Jones has compiled a 500-187-4 (72.6 percent) mark in his 13 seasons as Winona State’s head coach. His teams have posted a winning record each year while advancing to the NCAA Regional Tournament eight times.
Back-to-back solo home runs by Britt Stewart and Jenny Nelson in the fifth inning of game one gave the Warriors a lead they would not give back. The Warriors had trailed 2-0 early, but got both runs back in the fourth inning as Jordan Petersen plated the team’s first run with a single and Reed Karsten followed two batters later with a RBI triple.
Augustana re-took the lead in the bottom half of the frame, but Stewart and Jenny Nelson’s solo blasts put WSU back on top, 4-3. The Warriors added a run in the sixth on a RBI single by Morgan Lintz to make the score 5-3 and scored another insurance run in the top of the seventh as Petersen put down a perfect bunt that let Shannon Nelson cross home plate.
Stewart pitched a complete game for the Warriors, scattering seven hits while allowing just three earned runs. The senior also struck out two to earn the victory.
The Warriors struck fast in game two, with Brooke Piotrowski and Karsten leading off the top of the first with consecutive singles. Both runners scored on Ashley Walker’s three-run homer, helping WSU to a quick 3-0 advantage.
Morgan Lintz pushed the WSU lead to 5-0 in the third after hitting a two-run homer, her tenth of the season. The Warriors scored once more in the fourth, with Walker collecting a RBI single.
Walker went 3-for-4 with four RBI in game two while also throwing a four-hit shutout. The sophomore is still perfect on the mound this season, holding an 8-0 record. Walker struck out one while walking none to help cement the sweep.
Winona State (18-6 overall, 3-1 NSIC) will return to action on Saturday when it hosts the University of Mary in its home opener.