Armbruster Hurls For Mavericks in Wins Friday and Saturday
McKayla Armbruster of Faribault was the starting pitcher in a 6-1 win yesterday during a Minnesota State Mankato sweep of a doubleheader against Minnesota State Crookston at the Mavericks Sports Dome.
Armbruster also threw a 1-0 shutout over Bemidji State in the first game of a doubleheader today at the dome.
The Faribault High School graduate went the first five innings of the second game against Crookston allowing 4 hits, 1 earned run with 6 strikeouts and 1 walk. The sophmore threw 94 pitches while facing 20 Golden Eagles hitters.
Against Bemidji State Armbruster (4-5) threw 90 pitches to 23 batters going 6 2/3 innings with 11 strikeouts, 0 walks, 2 hits allowed. Sophmore Katie Bracken of Iowa City, Iowa achieved her third save of the season while throwing one pitch to get the final out of the game.
In the Friday contest the Mavericks scored two runs in the first and a run in the second inning to give Armbruster some run support.
Katie Bracken, retired all six batters she faced over the final two innings of the game on 16 pitches.
Minnesota State Mankato had 7 hits, led by outfielder sophmore Madi Newman of Centerville, Mn. with 2 hits, 2 RBI.
Sophmore outfielder Kylie Sullivan of Kankakee, Illinois , sophmore outfielder Haley Forret of Van Meter, Iowa and freshman third baseman Cheyenne Behrends of Clarksville, Iowa knocked in the other 3 runs.
The Mavericks played error-free ball while the Golden Eagles had 2 miscues in the game.
Minnesota State Mankato won the first game Friday 7-0. Minnesota State Crookston ended the day with a 12-27 overall record and 3-11 in the NSIC.
Behrends knocked in the only run of the first game against Bemidji State. The Mavericks managed 3 hits in the pitcher's duel.
Sophmore Ellie Tallman of Marielle, Iowa clubbed 2 of the hits.
The Mavericks are rated #20 in the latest NCAA Division II poll.
Outfielder Jordan Peterson from Lakeville North had one of the Golden Eagles four hits in the second game Friday.
Freshman Evie Stuck (6-12) of Papillion, Nebraska started in the pitching circle. She went the first 5 innings, allowing 7 hits, 6 runs, all earned, walked 1, struck out 1, hit a batter, threw 79 pitches to 26 batters.
Freshman Nicole Deden of Mission Viejo, California pitched the final inning, gave up no hits, threw 16 pitches to 6 batters faced.
Klidon McClafferty (3-10), senior from Butte, Montana threw for the Beavers in the first game today with 1 walk, 1 strikeout and 65 pitches to 21 batters.
The game took 73 minutes to complete.
Game two was also a tight affair with the Mavericks garnering a 2-0 win.
Minnesota State Mankato (32-10) (14-4 NSIC) scored both runs in the bottom of the 6th inning. They had 8 hits in the game while senior pitcher McKenzie Ward (21-3) of Clive, Iowa held Bemidji State (8-28) (5-11) to 2 hits in the nearly hour and a half contest.
Ward picked up her 1,000th career strikeout.
Senior Torey Richards of Mankato East and sophmore Courtney Baxter of Ft. Calhoun, Nebraska collected the RBI. Baxter had 2 hits, Richards 1. Behrends tallied 2 hits including a double and the Mavericks had 3 stolen bases in the game.
Minnesota State is currently in third place in the Northern Intercollegiate Sun Conference with a 14-4 mark. Augustana is on top 16-2, Winona State next 11-3. St. Cloud State is 4th 13-5 followed by University of Minnesota Duluth 12-6.
The Mavericks travel to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for a doubleheader Wednesday against the University of Sioux Falls Cougars.
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