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The Warriors swept a pair of games Sunday from No. 8-ranked and top-seeded Southwest Minnesota State, winning the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament and earning the automatic bid to the regional tournament that goes with it.
The wins marked the first time WSU beat the Mustangs since the 2005 season. SMSU won all three meetings the past two seasons and the first two this season. The Warriors won the opener 3-2 and the championship game 4-1.
WSU (35-13), which has won 11 of its past 12 games, will play in the North Central Region Tournament on Thursday through Sunday in Emporia, Kan. It will be the Warriors’ fourth trip in eight seasons, third in four seasons but the first in consecutive seasons.
“It’s a great step for our program,” WSU coach Greg Jones said. “It’s a compliment to our kids and all their hard work. The great thing is that this is our fourth trip and we know we’re not just going as a participant. We’ve beat the best teams in the region and we know we can compete in this thing.”
SMSU (38-10) won the past eight meetings against the Warriors, including a doubleheader sweep April 17. The Mustangs won the NSIC regular season title, were the top-ranked team in the region and beat WSU twice in the final inning, 1-0 and 5-4.
Despite the tough losses, Jones said his team left those games believing they could play with the Mustangs. The win the opener today confirmed it.
“We were frustrated and felt like there was some kind of wall in front of us,” Jones said. “We communicated to our team that walls are obstacles and you have to find a way around it. They did that. They kept at it and got the job done — finally.”
Terra Halron doubled in two runs in the fourth inning of the opener to give the Warriors the lead. Kristen Fossell picked up the win, allowing eight hits and two earned runs to go along with eight strikeouts.
WSU got two runs in the sixth and seventh innings of the second game to break a 0-0 tie. SMSU scored once in the bottom of the seventh. Jenny Wilmes doubled in two runs in the sixth and Chelsea Rosenow singled in two runs in the seventh.
