ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Parkside softball earned a split in a doubleheader on the road against St. Cloud State on Saturday afternoon, where the Rangers took game one 8-6 before falling 1-0 in the nightcap. It was the first time the Rangers defeated St. Cloud since the 2008 season. 

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After the weekend in the Husky Dome, the Rangers will return home at 1-3 overall and return to action in two weeks where the team heads down to Monticello, Ark., to compete in the University of Arkansas at Monticello Classic from Feb. 16 to Feb. 18.

In game one, the Rangers jumped out to a 4-1 lead after back-to-back two-run innings to open the game. In the first inning, Jessica Shields opened the game with a triple and came in to score on Kellie Fenza's RBI single, making it a 1-0 Parkside lead. After a Megan Aliverti walk and a sacrifice bunt, Madison Manders delivered an RBI single to score Fenza and make it 2-0 Rangers.
The Huskies got one back with a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the first, but the Rangers responded in the top of the second, as Fenza drove in Allison Hausl on an RBI triple to right center and Adrien Hall singled to score Fenza later in the inning, giving Parkside the 4-1 lead.

The Ranger offense exploded for four runs in the top of fourth inning, taking an 8-1 advantage with some timely two-out hitting. Morgan Sikon drove in Fenza and Shields with a two-run double, Manders followed that with an RBI single and Samantha Newtoff ripped an RBI double to right field. St. Cloud chipped away with two runs in each the fifth and seventh innings and had the based loaded in the bottom of the seventh with the winning run at first base, but Alyssa Hrncar got a huge strikeout to end the game and get the Rangers their first win of the season.

Four Rangers finished with multiple hits in game one, as Fenza finished 2-for-3 with a triple, three runs, two RBI and Hall, Manders and Newtoff all went 2-for-4. Hausl earned the win, going 6.1 innings with three strikeouts while Hrncar pitched the final 2/3 innings to earn the save.

In game two, Hrncar pitched 6.0 innings allowing just three hits with one strikeout, but the Huskies allowed just three hits on their way to the shutout.

The game went scoreless until the bottom of the third where St. Cloud pushed across the only run of the game on an RBI double to left field. The Rangers had a good chance to tie it up in the bottom of the fifth after Newtoff led off with a single and was bunted over to second, but a foul out ended the Parkside threat. The Green & White also put the tying and go-ahead runs on in the top of the seventh after Manders led the inning off with a walk. After a fielder's choice, Rilie Berg bunted both runners over, but a double play ball ended the game.

Shields finished game two 1-for-2 with a pair of walks while Newtoff went 1-for-2 with a walk.