Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University couldn't get the key hit in game 1 and the key stops on game 2 as Wayne State College swept a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games against the Beavers Saturday at Herb Parker Stadium.

The Beavers (28-18 overall, 15-13 NSIC) fell 5-1 in game 1 and 8-3 in game 2 against Wayne State College (34-16, 20-8) to finish off the NSIC regular season. The NSIC Softball Championships begins May 1 at Sherman Park in Sioux Falls, S.D.

"That is exactly the case; we didn't get the key hit. It was that way all weekend," said MISU head coach Bill Triplett. "It seemed like if there was a 50-50 deal, it didn't go our way. Hopefully that will turn around and we will get down to the NSIC and have a great tournament."

In game 1, it was a pitcher's duel until late. Both Minot State starter Mindy Lorimor (Jr., P, Thurman, Iowa) and WSC starter Sara Scheffert shut their respective opponents down until the sixth.

In the sixth, WSC scored three and then tacked on two in the top of the seventh to open up a 3-1 and then 5-1 lead and didn't allow the Beavers back into the game.

"Mindy was pretty good; as good as she been for a while," Triplett said of Lorimor. "She was really hitting her spots. Sometimes, in the colder weather, she's not on top of her game but today she was."

But the Beavers' bats were stymied much of the game. MISU stranded six runners and finished wit just five hits in the loss. Katie Backes (Sr., UTL, Minot, N.D.) finished with the team's only RBI and Jen Dixon (Sr., OF/P, Brandon, Manitoba) went 2-for-3, but the rest of the Beavers were a combined 1-for-19.

"I think we were being too patient and not up there trying to mash the ball," said Triplett. "We took too many pitches and too many called third strikes. We needed to recognize (Scheffert) was burying that first pitch and needed to be more aggressive."

Kaiti Williams, Kelcie Bormann and Melanie Alyea finished with two hits apiece and drove in three for WSC. Scheffert went seven innings, giving up five hits and struck out nine batters in the win.

In game 2, Minot State struggled to get a key stop. The Beavers had chances to shut down WSC, but in a couple key spots, the Wildcat hitters came through. WSC jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innigns and after the Beavers cut the lead to 4-2 in the fourth, struck back for four more in the fifth.

Minot State cut the lead to 4-2 behind Backes' sixth home run of the season – a two run HR – but MISU couldn't get any closer. The Beavers scored a single run in the seventh as Stacy Fournier (Sr., 3B, Langley, British Columbia) drove in a run.

Kelcie Bormann pitched seven strong innings for WSC for the win and Alyea drove in three on a 3-for-4 performance for the Wildcats.

Minot State got two hits from Fournier and Backes and a 3-for-4 performance from Melissa Bell (Jr., C, Belgrade, Mont.), but again, couldn't spread the wealth out as the rest of the team went 2-for-19.

The Beavers enter the NSIC Championships most likely in the eighth spot and will have to play one of two opening-round games. The conference will announce the brackets at a later date.

"All 10 teams going to the tournament are good," Triplett said. "You even have to worry about the 6-7-8-9-10 teams, they are all very good. It's going to tough, but I wouldn't be too comfortable if I was No. 1, 2 or 3."