The North Dakota State College of Science softball team is Region XIII Champions for a fifth consecutive season. The Wildcats topped Ridgewater, 6-1, before sweeping St. Cloud Tech by scores of 8-0 and 12-5.
Ella Stewart improved to 10-2 and lowered her earned run average to 1.76 with a vintage outing against Ridgewater. The freshman allowed three hits while striking out nine across five innings.
Heeley Taylor closed the contest with two scoreless innings, lowering her ERA to 2.00.
Katie Edmonds went 2-for-4 with a pair of steals. Rayelle Cooley and Caitlyn Dannenfelzer both doubled in the victory.
Grace Folkema was untouchable In the first game against St. Cloud Tech. The sophomore pitched a five-inning one-hitter, striking out 13 Cyclones. Folkema is now 14-4 with a 2.51 ERA and 124 strikeouts.
Emma Johnson went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and Meredith Frey tripled.
Moss doubled twice In Friday’s region title game. Cooley torched from the top of the lineup with a three-RBI game. Dannenfelzer and Johnson posted two hits each.
Johnson improved to 12-5 with a 1.95 ERA inside the circle, twirling four innings of three-run softball. Johnson worked around five hits and recorded five strikeouts. Taylor and Fokema pitched the final three innings and did not surrender an earned run.
NDSCS (47-13-1) enters the district playoffs ranked No. 1 in NJCAA Division III. The Wildcats lead the country with 236 stolen bases.
