ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) – The 16th-ranked Missouri Western softball team opened the 2016 Kelly Laas Invitational with a 3-1 victory over Minnesota State Friday night.

Katie Klosterman was involved in all the Griffons’ three runs, driving in two with her first home run of the season and scoring the third on Morgan Rathmann’s first triple of 2016. Janie Smith limited Minnesota State to just four hits and one run, coming on a solo shot in the fifth inning. The win improved the 16th-ranked Griffons to 5-3 on the season.

Sydney Washington opened the second with a single then stole second base before Klosterman sent a ball over the left center field wall, putting the Griffons up 2-0. Smith held Minnesota State hitless until the fourth when she surrendered a leadoff single. Klosterman picked up her second extra-base hit of the game in the bottom of the fourth when she led off with a double. She was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Megan Korgie then scored on Rathmann’s triple. Klosterman went 2-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Shelbie Atwell also went 2-3. Rathmann, Taylor Hamilton and Washington had the other Griffon hits.

Dana Mogren picked up the third hit of the day off Smith with a leadoff homer to center in the fifth. Smith committed an error to allow the next batter to reach, but retired the next two and allowed just one more hit, a Mogren single in the seventh, the rest of the way. The win moved Smith to 4-1 on the year. She yielded just the one unearned run on four hits with one strikeout and no walks.

Action continues, Saturday, for Missouri Western at the Kelly Laas Invitational. Missouri Western is set to take on Southwest Minnesota State at 5 p.m. and Concordia-St. Paul at 9:30 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —