Winona, Minn. – The Griffon softball team fought off elimination once but could not do it twice on Saturday in the NCAA Central Regional. The Griffons beat Southern Arkansas 5-0 before falling to #1 seed and 10th ranked Winona State 5-4. The Griffons season ends with a 39-18 overall record.

Game 1
MWSU 5
SAU 0

Against the Muleriders the Griffons got a solid pithing performance from Jackie Bishop as she threw a complete game shutout. The shutout was her 12th of the year and the victory was the 26th of the season which was a new career high. Bishop struck out six in the game.

The Griffons got on the board in the third inning when Tiffany Gillaspy hit a two out double scoring Sydney Washington from first base giving them the 1-0 lead. In the fifth Morgan Rathmann got hit by a pitch and again with two outs Gillaspy blasted a homer to give the Griffons the 3-0 lead.

The Griffons put two more on the board in the 6th with three hits. Michelle Stevenson and Rathmann had RBI hits in the inning making it 5-0 going to the 7th.

Bishop gave up a single in the 7th but got out of the inning eliminating Southern Arkansas. The Muleriders ended their season with a 37-26 overall record.

The Griffons had six hits with Gillaspy going 2-for-3 with three RBI and a runs scored.

Hanna Gill got the loss for SAU going 5.1 innings giving up four hits and five earned runs with two strikeouts. She falls to 12-6 with the loss. SAU had four hits with four different players getting a hit.

Game 2
#10 WSU 5
MWSU 4

In game two the long ball hurt the Griffons as three of their five hits went over the fence including a three run homer in the first by Morgan Lintz giving the Warriors the 3-0 lead. The Griffons kept battling back tying the game at three after five.

In the third inning the Griffons loaded the bases with no one out as Katie Klosterman walked and Stevenson and Rathmann hit back-to-back singles. Klosterman scored on a ground-out by Fleschner as the Griffons cut the lead to 3-1. In the fourth Anding singled to the pitcher and Steponovich doubled to right field putting runners on second and third with one out. Stevenson hit a sac fly scoring Anding cutting the Warrior lead to 3-2 after four.

In the fifth the Griffons got things going again as Rathmann led off with a single and stole second. Gillaspy came up with two outs and singled to left field tying the game at three going to the bottom of the fifth.

Bishop set nine straight batter down until the bottom of the sixth when Jen Nelson and Lintz hit back-to-back homers giving the Warriors the 5-3 lead going to the 7th.

The Griffons did not give up as single by Gillaspy and Brooke Schaben put runners on first and third with no one out. The Griffons got a run on a Steponovich ground out but that would be it as the Griffons left one on in the inning and their ninth in the game.

The Griffons had 11 hits with Rathmann going 3-for-3 with a run. Gillaspy and Stevenson each had two hits while four other Griffons had a hit. Bishop ends her season 26-10 as she went six innings giving up five hits and five earned run.s She struckout four in the game.

The Warriors improved to 48-8 on the season Lintz going 2-for-3 with two runs and four RBI. Hanna Lythberg went 5.1 innings giving up eight hits and three earned runs while Ashley Walker got her 20th victory going 1.2 innings in relief. She gave up three hits and one earned run.

Bishop finished her career 96-29 with a 1.44 ERA. She pitched 828 innings with 977 strikeouts.

— MWSU Sports Information —