ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Northeastern State softball team was shutout twice by Missouri Western State on the first day of MIAA play Friday night at the MWSU Softball Field.
 
The RiverHawks (12-9, 0-2 MIAA) started the conference season 0-2 for the second-straight year, while the Griffons improved to 12-6 overall and 2-0 in the league. MWSU won the first game 1-0 in 10 innings before collecting an 8-0 run-rule victory in the nightcap.
 
NSU totaled nine hits combined in the two contests and finished with a .170 batting average (9-for-53). The last time the RiverHawks were shutout in both games of a doubleheader was March 21, 2014 against Fort Hays State.
 
Sophomore Paige Gann and redshirt freshman Haley Acrey had one hit in each game.
 
Northeastern State will now head north to face Northwest Missouri State in a doubleheader beginning at noon March 5 in Maryville, Missouri.
 
MISSOURI WESTERN STATE 1, NORTHEASTERN STATE 0 (10 innings)
The RiverHawks stranded 11 baserunners in their second 10-inning loss of the season. They also outhit Missouri Western State 7-3 and received a dominant pitching performance in the circle from senior Kayce Wooldridge.
 
On top of allowing just three hits (all singles) in 9.1 innings, Wooldridge (8-3) was able to strike out four on 121 pitches. Two of her three losses this year have been in 10 innings, and she used the performance to lower her ERA down to 1.23 on the season.
 
The only time a Griffon reached third base in the entire game was in the bottom of the 10th, and that took a sacrifice bunt after they had a runner placed on second base due to the international tiebreak rule. Emilie Laliberte scored the walkoff game-winning run on an illegal pitch call.
 
The only three singles for the home team came off the bats of Paige Shifflett, Taylor Hamilton and Kailey Green.
 
Janie Smith (7-3) earned the win in the circle after throwing a 10-inning shutout. She struck out nine, walked six and gave up seven hits.

This was the first time in 68 games that MWSU was unable to push across a run through the regulation seven innings.

MISSOURI WESTERN STATE 8, NORTHEASTERN STATE 0 (6 innings)
Missouri Western State scored in all but one inning as the home team earned the run-rule victory. The game was halted following a walkoff sacrifice fly by Sydney Washington in the bottom of the sixth inning.
 
Morgan Rathmann and Hamilton both finished with three hits, with the duo combined for three RBI and three runs scored. Katie Klostermann was 2-for-4 with three RBI and Rebekah Mueller was 2-for-2 with one run batted in and one run scored.
 
NSU was held to just two hits, one each from Gann and Acrey. The loss marked the third time in the last five games in which Wooldridge did not pitch that the RiverHawks were defeated by a run rule.
 
True freshman Taryn Gray (3-4) picked up the loss after conceding three runs on six hits in just 1.1 innings. Senior Delaney Gray allowed one run on two hits across the next 2.2 frames. Juniors Jennifer Wolf and Mollie Carter also saw time in the circle. Wolf gave up four runs on four hits.
 
Shyanne Saladino (5-3), the MIAA's ERA leader at 0.96, earned a two-hit shutout. She struck out two and walked one.