MANKATO, Minn. – The Winona State softball team jumped out to an early lead and didn’t look back in an 11-3 victory over Southeastern Oklahoma State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament Friday in Mankato, Minn. Box Score

The Warriors scored six runs in the first and never let the nation’s second ranked team get closer than four to post the victory.

WSU is now 35-12 overall on the season and has advanced to take on Minnesota State at 11 am Saturday.

Winona State jumped out of the gates quickly, scoring six runs in the top of the first. Brooke Piotrowski walked and Reed Karsten singled to put two Warriors on base right away. Ashley Walker followed with a RBI single to put the first run on the board for WSU. A Britt Stewart single scored another run while Jenny Nelson reached on an error that plated another to make the score 3-0.

Jessica Kullmann put an exclamation point on the first inning for WSU, hitting a three-run home run to left field that upped the Warrior advantage to 6-0.

Southeastern Oklahoma State got one run back in the first and added another in the third to pull within four, 6-2. The Warriors responded in the fourth, with Walker smacking a RBI triple and Morgan Lintz driving in a second run of the frame to move the lead to 8-2.

A SEOS run in the fifth made the score to 8-3 but Winona State responded with three runs in the sixth to end the game and give the Warriors the victory. Walker and Lintz both drew walks to start the inning, with Nelson singling to score one. Kaitlin Hardie followed with a blooper down the left field line that fell in for a hit and allowed two more Warriors to cross home plate.

Winona State hit the ball hard throughout the game, collecting 13 hits as a team. Stewart was 3-for-4 at the plate while Karsten, Walker, Nelson and Hardie each added two hits. Kullmann led WSU with three RBI while Walker and Hardie each drove in two.

Walker’s two RBI give her 58 on the season, just two behind the school’s single-season record set by Kim Wachholder in 2012.

Walker also threw a complete game to earn the victory in the circle and move her record to 18-2 on the year. The sophomore allowed 11 hits but let just three runs cross the plate while striking out three.