Duluth overwhelms Mustangs in home opener with strong batting performance | Local news, sports, and job updates

The Southwest Minnesota State softball team faced a tough challenge in their home-opener against Minnesota Duluth on Friday afternoon. The Bulldogs dominated both games of the doubleheader, winning the first game 9-0 and the second game 6-1 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play.

In the first game, the Bulldogs and Mustangs were deadlocked in a scoreless tie until the sixth inning when Kat Burkhardt hit a two-run homer to give Minnesota Duluth a 2-0 lead. The Bulldogs continued to pile on runs in the seventh inning, scoring a total of six runs to secure the victory. SMSU pitcher Morgyn Otte had a strong outing through the first five innings but struggled in the late innings, allowing seven earned runs with nine hits and three strikeouts.

The second game saw Burkhardt once again making an impact with a two-run homer in the first inning. Despite a lone run from SMSU, the Bulldogs shut down the Mustangs for the remainder of the game. SMSU pitcher Karlie Miller gave up six runs on 11 hits and five walks, while the Bulldogs’ Maddy Walsh and Allison Luoma combined for a strong pitching performance.

With the wins, Minnesota Duluth improved to 25-10 overall and 6-4 in the conference, moving up to fifth place in the NSIC standings. SMSU, on the other hand, fell to 13-22 overall and 4-8 in the conference, sitting in tenth place. The Mustangs will look to bounce back when they take on St. Cloud State in a doubleheader today at 1 p.m.