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Softball team sweeps UND; NCC tourney next
Huskies sweep North Dakota in Grand Forks; prepare for USD in NCC tourney
By Ben Dunsmoor
Published:
Thursday, May 1, 2003
The Husky softball team has only allowed two runs in the final six games of the regular season.
That's not a bad start going into the upcoming NCC tournament and the NCAA National Fastpitch championship tournament. A season doubleheader finale in Grand Forks, N.D., against the University of North Dakota Tuesday aided SCSU in accumulating those numbers.
The Huskies came off the long bus trip to defeat UND by the mere margin of 2-0 in the first game of the twinbill. The first run didn't come until the fifth inning when first-year player Abby Augdahl pinch ran and was waved home on a Fighting Sioux error.
The sixth inning provided the Huskies second run of the game as sophomore center fielder Cally Stewart singled to left field to bring home fellow outfielder Abby Velta.
Junior pitcher Nicole Webb won her last 13 games of the season on the hill and finished up with an impressive 24-6 record. She ended her extraordinary late season run with the complete game shutout in the first game Tuesday.
"I do think mentally I got a little tougher," Webb said of her winning streak. "Strength-wise I feel like I'm improving a bit, and against each batter I know where to throw the ball."
"She has been a great force for us on the mound," head coach Paula U'Ren added about Webb.
"She's coming out and hitting her spots well and she's also fielding great off the mound. She's just come through and done a great job for us these past couple weeks."
Junior first baseman Brooke Gentzler went two-for-three from the dish and knocked in four Husky runners as SCSU won in a five-inning rout in the second game 12-0. Catcher Abby Bourman, third baseman Megan Fuches and Velta also all went an impressive two-for-three from the plate with RBI's in the nightcap.
"We picked it up in the second game," Webb said. "It was basically a warm-up for the conference games and we knew we had to play well to get ready for this weekend."
SCSU's fastpitchers have been seeded third for this weekend's NCC postseason tournament in Mankato.
Their opponent is the sixth-seeded University of South Dakota Coyotes, a team that the Huskies have beaten twice, 10-1 and 3-0. Despite their past record against USD, the Huskies feel that the Coyotes still present a challenge.
"They're a tough opponent," U'Ren said. "They have a pitcher that will be a challenge for us, but I think we can come out and have a good start to the conference tournament."
The Huskies finished up the season 37-14 and 10-6 in the NCC. SCSU has also turned up the heat late in the season, going 16-2 in the last 18 games of their schedule with their only two losses coming against nationally-ranked NCC opponents.
No matter how you look at it, the Huskies are playing high quality softball going into the postseason.
"I think that we are definitely peaking at the right time," Webb said. "I just think we're at our strongest point right now heading into the post- season. We're right where we want to be."
Game time for the Huskies opening NCC tournament game is 1 p.m. Friday in Mankato.
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