ROSEMONT, Ill. -- The Parkside softball team faced two contrasting outcomes in their two games on Thursday. In the first game, Parkside was defeated by St. Cloud State by a score of 6-2. In the second game, Parkside rebounded with a dominant 5-0 win over Upper Iowa. Olivia Masnica continued her impressive start to the season, throwing a complete-game shutout and extending her scoreless innings streak to 14. The Parkside offense provided early runs and capitalized on key mistakes by Upper Iowa to secure the victory.
GAME ONE vs. St. Cloud State University
In the first game of their doubleheader in Rosemont, Illinois, the Parkside softball team (2-1) was defeated by St. Cloud State (8-3) by a score of 6-2.
Parkside's offense was quiet early, failing to score through the first two innings. St. Cloud State took control in the second, thanks to a two-RBI triple from Harms, followed by a single from Collins that brought in another run.
In the third, Parkside responded, with Mia Johnson driving in a run and later scoring on a wild pitch, tying the game at 2-2. However, St. Cloud State regained the lead in the fourth and added insurance in the sixth with two more runs, capitalizing on timely hits and an error by Parkside's shortstop.
Amber Smith (0-1) took the loss for Parkside, pitching four innings and allowing four earned runs. Hope Maes pitched two solid innings in relief, but the offense couldn't break through against St. Cloud State's Emma Eickhoff (4-0), who earned the win after 4.2 innings of work. Justyce Porter picked up the save.
Parkside's offense saw solid efforts from Johnson, who went 1-for-3 with an RBI, and Reese Valha, who doubled. However, they were limited to just four hits, stranding several runners in key situations.
GAME TWO vs. Upper Iowa
Parkside secured a 5-0 victory over Upper Iowa in game two thanks to a stellar performance from pitcher Olivia Masnica. Masnica tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing just four hits, striking out four, and walking one. With this win, she extended her scoreless innings streak to 14 to start the season, marking back-to-back shutouts to open the year.
Parkside's offense came alive early, grabbing a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Megan Medlin delivered a two-RBI triple, followed by Taylor Utrata's RBI single, giving Parkside a solid early advantage. They added one more run in the fifth and another in the sixth, with Medlin's continued contributions and a throwing error by Upper Iowa helping to bring in the extra runs.
Upper Iowa struggled to generate offense, recording just four hits throughout the game. Their best chance came in the sixth inning when Serah Shafer doubled, but they were unable to push any runs across. Despite a solid effort from Delaney Vetter, who allowed five runs (three earned) over 5.1 innings, Upper Iowa couldn't mount a challenge.
Masnica's dominant performance and Parkside's timely hitting sealed the 5-0 win, improving their record to 3-1, while Upper Iowa fell to 3-8.
UP NEXT
The Rangers will return to action on Saturday afternoon from Rosemont. Parkside will first take on Minnesota State – Moorhead at 1:30pm before taking on the University of Minnesota Duluth at 6:00pm. Links to coverage can be found at ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
