Sweep: Beavers take pair from UND, both in extra innings

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

April 14, 1999

By Devlyn Brooks

It took extra innings both times, but the Beavers softball team pulled out two quality wins over North Dakota Tuesday at the BSU Softball Diamond.

The wins increased the Beavers record to 6-7 overall, while the Sioux dropped to 10-14-1

"Those two wins were key as far as confidence goes, especially being able to come from behind (in the second game) showed a lot of character," Beaver head coach Nichie Bendt said. "(UND) swept North Dakota State, and they are a top five team in the region. It shows our potential. Any time you can sweep a (North Central Conference) team, it is big."

BSU 2, UND 1 (8 innings)

Both teams struggled offensively in the first four innings of game one, with both teams getting a combined five base runners through the top of the fifth.

In the bottom of the fifth, BSU's first two batters reached base, but Becca Beal was thrown out at second on Abby Stritesky's single up the middle.

Later, Stritesky moved to second on a Kim Strom sacrifice bunt, and scored from there on a Rachel Berry double to right centerfield.

UND evened the contest in the top of the seventh when Vicki McKay singled to leftfield to reach base. She was replaced by pinch runner Kristine Murphy, who advanced to third when Block overthrew a routine put-out to first. Corin Cafferty, the next batter to the plate, promptly singled Murphy home.

The score stayed that way until the bottom of the eighth when the Beavers scored their winning run on a Sioux error.

Block led the inning off with a single up the middle, which was followed by a Heather Peschl bunt single and Misty Muter's single over UND's firstbaseman to load the bases.

Price ultimately knocked in the winning run when UND tossed her third base grounder to home for the force out. But UND catcher Alena Valdez threw the ball into the dirt trying to force Price out at first base, and Peschl trotted home for the winning run.

BSU 5, UND 4 (11 innings)

In the second game, the offense came early and late for the Beavers.

They scored two on Price's historic two-run homer in the bottom of the first, and garnered another that inning when Beal got on with an error, advanced on a passed ball and scored on another error.

UND scored twice in the top of the third when Valdez walked, and came around the diamond on a single, fielder's choice and another single. The Sioux scored again when Holly Bonk scored on a fielder's choice.

The Sioux scored another two runs in the fifth, when BSU's starting pitcher Jenny Schickert loaded the bases and two runs were knocked in on singles.

Schickert was then pulled after only one out that inning, and replaced with Block, who cruised the rest of the game.

Not only did she shut down the Sioux on the mound, she won the game for herself in the bottom of the 11th inning with a two-out double to the fence in left field that scored Niki Hughes.

"Annie (Block) is a leader every place she plays, no matter if it's on the mound or in the field," Bendt said after the game.

The Beavers will face St. Scholastica at 3 p.m. today at BSU's Softball Diamond.