Rochester, Minn.- The UW-Parkside softball team dropped a pair of games to 23rd-ranked Winona State University on Thursday afternoon at the RCTC Dome in Rochester. The Warriors claimed the opener 10-0 and came back to get came two as well, 12-3. Winona State improves to 6-1 on the year. It was the season opener for the Rangers. Parkside will wrap up it's trip to Rochester with two more games on Friday. They'll take on Minot State University at noon and the University of Sioux Falls at 2:00 p.m.

Game 1 (Box Score)
The Warriors jumped on the young Rangers early scoring nine times in the first two innings to take control. They finished with 11 hits against three for Parkside.

Lexi Sotiros got the Rangers off to a good start by walking and stealing second to open the game. Unfortunately she was left stranded as Stacey Struzynski got out of the inning with three straight outs.

After Lauren Vitiello retired the first batter, three straight Warriors reached to load the bases. Morgan Lintz followed them up with her third home run of the year, this one a grand slam to right-center, to make it 4-0. Winona then chased Vitiello in the bottom of the second with six hits, scoring five runs including a Kathy Crudo home run.

Parkside tried to rally with back-to-back hits in the third by Sotiros and Cummings but couldn't score. Natalie Shank had a two-out double in the fourth but Struzynski came back with a strikeout.

She finished the day with nine strikeouts and one walk to earn her fourth win of the season. Vitiello took the loss in her Ranger debut.

Sotiros finished 1-for-2 while reaching base all three times.

Game 2 (Box Score)
The Warriors came out strong again in game two scoring an unearned run in the first and six more in the second (two unearned) to take a 7-0 lead against Kelynn Sporer.

The Rangers battled back, trimming the lead down to 7-3, sending eight to the plate in the top of the third. Sotiros bunted for a hit with one out and moved to second on a single by Cummings. She was forced out on a fielder's choice off the bat of Kirsten Luevano as Cummings moved to third. After a wild pitch advanced Luevano, Shank came up with a big two-out hit to drive in a pair and get the Rangers on the board.

Jessica Norton followed with the four hit of the inning to keep the rally alive. Ashley Nowdomski then cut the deficit to four on a run-scoring double to left center.

The Warriors had an answer though scoring five more runs in the bottom half to push it up to 12-3. Kyla Walczak led off the fourth with a single but that would be the final baserunner as Brittany Stewart retired the final six hitters to get the win.

Seven different players recorded a hit for the Rangers in game two. Sam Hildebrandt had three hits for the Warriors who had 12 in the game. The Rangers did commit three errors leading to three unearned run.

The Rangers will be right back in action on Friday afternoon in Rochester. Check back here at parksiderangers.com for Friday's results.