Photo by Jake McNeill: Southwest Minnesota State University outfielder Brynn Webber runs to first base during a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference softball game against Wayne State in Marshall on April 10, 2024. Southwest Minnesota took on Florida Southern on Tuesday, splitting a doubleheader in Lakeland, Fla.

LAKELAND, Fla. — After tying the program record for consecutive wins at 14 on Monday, the Southwest Minnesota State University softball team’s win streak came to an end with a split against Florida Southern on Tuesday. The Mustangs fell 3-0 to the Mocs in the first game of the doubleheader before bouncing back with a resounding 7-0 win.

The split brings SMSU’s record on the season up to 16-8, leaving it just three wins shy of last year’s season total when it finished at 19-32. The Mustangs will wrap up play at THE Spring Games today with a pair of games against Shepherd (Pa.) and Northwood (Mich.) in Clermont, Fla. The first game is slated for 8 a.m. while the second is scheduled for 12:45 p.m.

Fla. Southern 3,

SMSU 0

A three-run fourth inning gave the Florida Southern Mocs all the offense it needed to down Southwest Minnesota State in the first game of a Tuesday doubleheader, with the game resulting in a 3-0 Mocs victory.

Florida Southern earned its lead when Shelby Savitt hit a leadoff double and Jadyn Bushnell hit a sacrifice bunt to advance Savitt to third. Still, Savitt was tagged out at home on a throw from second baseman Lexi Ingalls on Amanda Lieberman’s grounder.

With a runner on first and two outs, Morgan Roden walked and Gabby Young singled to load the bases. Kate Mikle capitalized on the opportunity with a two-run single to right field and Keira Morris drove in another run with a single to short, making the score 3-0 before the inning ended on a fielder’s choice.

SMSU was never able to generate the offense to get back in the game, though it put runners in scoring position in the fifth and sixth innings. Kaylee Hafermann reached base in the fifth on a fielding error and advanced to third base with two outs before a ground out ended the frame. One inning later, Abby Russell and Paris Van Dyke singled and Karlie Miller walked to load the bases with two outs, but a pop out ended the rally fruitless.

Miller threw the full six innings for SMSU but fell to 6-4 on the season with the loss. She surrendered three earned runs on seven hits and six walks while striking out one batter.

For the Mocs, Lieberman earned her first win of the season with seven shutout innings to improve to 1-5. She limited the Mustangs to six hits and a walk with one strikeout.

SMSU 7,

Fla. Southern 0

After being shutout in the day’s first game to end a 14-game win streak, the Southwest Minnesota State University softball team turned the tables with a 7-0 win behind a three-hit, three-RBI game from Brynn Webber. The Mustang designated player was one of two Mustangs to total four hits across the two games, along with right fielder Abby Boxrud.

SMSU went scoreless for the game’s first five innings before erupting in the sixth and seventh, ending a drought of 12 consecutive innings for the Mustangs without a run.

Boxrud started SMSU’s go-ahead rally with a one-out single and Abby Russell followed with another hit to put two runners on. With two outs, Paris Van Dyke singled in Boxrud for the lead and Webber singled in Russell to make it 2-0.

While the rally ended on a ground out in the next at-bat, SMSU retired three of Florida Southern’s four batters in the bottom of the frame and picked up offensively where it left off when the seventh inning started.

Lexi Ingalls initiated SMSU’s seventh-inning surge with a leadoff double and scored when Kaylee Hafermann reached on a throwing error by Florida Southern first baseman Alissa Kessler.

A Boxrud single put runners on the corners with one out and Russell followed up with an RBI single to right field. After Florida Southern subbed out Amanda Lieberman for Kayla Hickey, Van Dyke reached on another error by Hickey to drive in Boxrud and Webber hit a two-run triple to make the score 7-0 before a foul out ended the inning.

Hickey earned the loss on the mound, allowing two earned and four unearned runs on six hits with no walks or strikeouts. She pitched the game’s first six innings for Florida Southern before being relieved by Lieberman, and then coming back in to get the final out.

Morgyn Otte improved to 5-2 in the circle for SMSU by tossing six shutout innings. She allowed four hits with no walks or strikeouts, and Jordyn Marsh closed out the game by striking out three of the four batters she faced in the seventh. The lone batter to reach base against Marsh came on an error.