ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The 16th-ranked Missouri Western softball team wrapped up the Kelly Laas Memorial Invite with a win and a loss on Sunday, going 4-1 on the weekend and bringing head coach Jen Bagley Trotter two wins shy of 500 for her career.

Game 1: #20 Augustana (S.D.) 3, #16 MWSU 1

A two run home run in the first inning was all the cushion No. 20 Augustana would need to snap a four-game winning streak for the 16th ranked Griffons.

Janie Smith surrendered a two-run home run to the third batter she faced then calmed down to keep Augustana off the scoreboard until the fifth. After back-to-back doubles to lead off the bottom of the fifth, Smith coaxed a pop-up to the short stop to record the first out of the inning. Shyanne Saladino then replaced Smith and gave up a walk before retiring the next batter on a ground out that scored a run to put Augustana up 3-1. Missouri Western scored its lone run in the third. Two Augustana errors led to the run. Rebekah Mueller singled with one out but was able to advance to second on an error. Morgan Rathmann followed by reaching on an error that allowed Mueller to score.

Rathmann and Shelbie Atwell both went 2-4 at the plate. Missouri Western touched Augustana for six hits but left seven runners stranded. Smith fell to 5-2 on the season, pitching 4.1 innings and allowing three earned runs on 10 hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Saladino went the last inning and two thirds. She did not allow a hit, stuck out one and walked one.

Game 2: #16 MWSU 3, St. Cloud State 0

Saladino picked up her second shutout of the weekend, allowing six baserunners in seven innings and moving her record to 3-2 and ERA to 0.73.

Taylor Hamilton aided the Griffon offensive effort with a 2-3, two RBI performance at the plate. Hamilton drove in Missouri Western’s first run of the game on a single to left center in the first and added another RBI single to right center in the third. Kailey Green drove in the other Griffon run on a single in the fifth. Rathmann went 2-4 in game two with two runs scored.

The win pushed Missouri Western to 8-4 on the season and gave Trotter her 498th career win, all at Missouri Western. She’ll have her first crack at win No. 500 next weekend when the team plays in Joplin, Missouri, at the Teri Mathis Zenner Memorial Tournament. The Griffons will face Drury and Rockhurst on Saturday before taking on Sioux Falls and McKendree on Sunday.

— MWSU Athletics —