CONROE, Texas – After falling to the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, Augustana, in their season opener earlier of Friday, the No. 15 ranked Cameron softball team narrowly missed out on their first win of the 2020 season, dropping an 11-inning battle to Minnesota Duluth in their second game of the Arkansas Tech Classic.

Game 1 – Augustana 8, Cameron 4
Cameron had the toughest test you could ask for in their 2020 season opener, facing the reigning Division II National Champion and No. 1 ranked Augustana Vikings.

The Auggie offense proved their ranking early on, scoring seven quick runs with three in the first and four in the third against CU's top senior hurler Bethany Hines. 

In the first three innings, the Black and Gold was being no-hit by the Vikings' pitcher Ashley Mickschl. That quickly changed in the bottom of the fourth, when CU got going with four runs on four hits in the inning.

Senior backstop Callie Busby got things started with a one out double to right center. She then came in to score in the next at-bat as junior Madyson Marvulli placed one on the other side of centerfield for a two-bagger of her own. Two batters later senior Kaylyn Smith came up with a clutch single to drive in pinch runner Mikayla Oaks, giving CU their second run of the day.

Raley Long continued the rally, doubling to right center to drive in the speedy Smith all the way from first. Long advanced to third on a throwing error by the Auggie right fielder and then came in to score in the next at-bat as Hines reached via an error by the third baseman. CU ended the fourth trailing the top ranked Vikings 7-4.

Augustana added another run in the top half of the fifth, which was plenty of cushion for Mickschl, who gave up just one hit in the final three innings and struck out a trio of Aggies to secure the 8-4 win.

C. Busby reached base all three times she came to the plate, going 2-2 with a walk and a run scored, while Long and Marvulli both added RBI doubles for Cameron.

Hines went the distance for CU in the circle, giving up seven earned runs on nine Augustana hits. The senior struck out five in the complete game, but also issues a quintet of free passes.

Game 2 – Minnesota Duluth 6, Cameron 3 (11 Innings)
Looking to bounce back from their loss to the defending champs, the Black and Gold turned to another senior arm, Turner Whorton, to neutralize the UMD Bulldog bats. The Hollis, Okla. native was able to work around a leadoff walk in the first to escape untouched, but that was not he case in the second as her free pass to open the inning came in to score on a two-out double.

Cameron was able to answer quickly, as Smith reached via a free pass in the bottom of the second and then, after advancing to third on a Jaclyn Gray single, scored via a pass ball to tie the game at one.

Back-to-back two-out hits in both the third and fourth innings resulted in the Bulldogs taking a 3-1 lead over the then 0-1 Aggies. However, CU responded in the bottom of the fourth with Gray walking to leadoff of the inning and then coming in to score on a triple by freshman Oaks, her first hit of her CU career. Two batters later, 2019 NFCA First Team All-American Khmari Edwards drove in another Aggie first year player Maci McMurtrey, who reached via a Minnesota Duluth error, to knot the game up at three after four innings of action.

The fifth inning would close the book on Whorton's day, as after a leadoff single she was replaced in the circle by Hines. The senior off-speed specialist controlled the next six innings, limiting the Bulldogs to just five hits while striking out eight batters as the game stretched to extra innings.

Hines was matched in the circle by UMD's Mady Stariha, a freshman from Superior, Wis., who held the Black and Gold scoreless in the final five innings of Monday's contest.

After six scoreless innings, Cameron fell victim to four more two-out hits in the top of the 11th inning. Hines was able to retire the first two batters in the UMD half of the frame, but the resilient Bulldogs stitched together three doubles and a triple to strike for three more runs, giving them a 6-3 lead over the Black and Gold.

Cameron's only hit in the bottom of the 11th came on a two-out double by senior Brenna Busby, her second hit of the contest. The 2019 All-American then stole second, which after the third out was recorded didn't seem that significant. However, that swipe gave the four-year starter her 62nd stolen base of her career, putting her in a tie for the program record.     

The Aggies left 11 runners on base and tallied 10 hits in the 11-inning marathon, with three of those coming off the bat of Edwards, who had one of CU's two RBI in the loss. Oaks drove in the other run, tallying a pair of hits, same as B. Busby.

Whorton finished with a line of three earned runs on seven hits and three walks with a trio of strikeouts in her 4.0 innings of work. Hines, now 0-2 on the young season, gave up the three runs on eight hits with eight punch-outs in 7.0 innings pitched.

The Aggies will have two more chances to secure that first victory of 2020 on Saturday as the Arkansas Tech Classic continues. CU will kick off the day with Harding at 12:30 p.m. followed by a battle with No. 7 Central Oklahoma at 3 p.m. to wrap up their second day at the Scrapyards.