The Northwestern College softball team dropped a pair of 2-0 decisions to St. Cloud State on the first day of the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament played today at the Husky Dome in St. Cloud, Minn. 

Northwestern is now 2-2 on the young 2021 season; St. Cloud State is 2-0.

Game one was a pitchers dual as Northwestern senior Samantha Ubben and Huskies starter Lauren Kirchberg combined for 11 strikeouts and limited the opposing offenses to just 10 hits. Ubben (1-1) permitted six hits, five singles and one double, and walked just one while striking out six. The senior has 16 strikeouts in 12 innigns this season. Kirchberg gave up just four singles and struck out five while not walking a batter.

Scoreless after three innings, St. Cloud State put the winning run across in the fourth when Jasmin Estrada singled, pinch runner Lydia Krueger stole second and scored on an RBI single from Megan Conrads. 

The Huskies added an insurance run in the sixth when Raven Vanden Langenberg led off with a single, went to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored when Estrada was thrown out trying to steal second. 

Four Raiders had one hit; Jennifer Boeve, Bri Giordano, Emily Strasser and Jessica Mouw. 

Game two was also a pitchers dual, this time between Northwestern freshman Kameryn Etherington and St. Cloud State pitcher Kylie Thomsen. Etherington limited the Huskies to five hits and struck out three while Thomsen scattered six hits over seven innings and struck out five.

St. Cloud State put both runs across in the bottom of the second inning when Estrada doubled, advanced to third after a bunt and scored via a sacrifice fly from Vanden Langenberg. Sydney Tress then hit a solo home run with two outs, giving the Huskies a needed an insurance run.

Boeve and Erika McKenney paced head coach Shane Bouman's offense with two hits each. Emily Bosch added a double and Jordyn Kramer had the other hit for NWC.