Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

FARGO, N.D.--Krista Menke threw 12 innings on shutout ball and Amanda Grable hit a grand slam home run to highlight North Dakota State's 10-0 and 6-0 sweep of Western Illinois in a Summit League softball doubleheader played on a windy Saturday, April 26, before 178 fans at The Ellig Sports Complex.

North Dakota State (27-15, 10-3 SL) steps out of league play against 12th-ranked Minnesota (36-8) for a doubleheader at 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, in Minneapolis. The Bison close out Summit League regular season play at South Dakota (28-17, 9-5 SL) on May 2-3 in Vermillion.

Menke, a 5-foot-11 junior from Friend, Neb., needed only 78 pitches to fashion a three-hitter in the five-inning first game against Western Illinois (18-23-1, 4-10 SL). She struck out eight and walked one in facing 18 batters. Menke (21-6) recorded her seventh and eighth shutouts of the season. She has 20 shutouts in her career.

Grable, a 5-8 junior third baseman from Santee, Calif., launched a 2-0 pitch well over the left field with the bases loaded in the first inning for NDSU's third grand slam of the season. It was Banzinga's fifth home run of the season and first since April 5 at Omaha.

The Bison scored three times in the bottom of the fourth to extend the lead to 7-0, taking advantage of five walks, including one to Maritza Lopez-Portillo with the bases-loaded and Jackie Stifter's two-out, two-run single up the middle.

North Dakota State closed out game one with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Logan Moreland singled to right and Cheyenne Garcia doubled down the left field line to put runners in scoring position. Jenina Ortega hit the first pitch over the left field fence to end the game. It was Ortega's fifth home run of the season.

Brandi Enriquez, a first baseman from Norwalk, Calif., and Ortega, a catcher from San Jose, Calif., are the lone seniors for NDSU this season and were honored prior to the first pitch. Ortega got things started defensively for the Bison, throwing out the NCAA's top base stealer Sammy Marshall in top of the first inning. Ortega has thrown out 54 base runners in her career.

North Dakota State finished with 10 hits led by the two base hits from Alex Sobrero and Moreland.

Hailey Bickford (4-10) and Kayla Kirkpatrick pitched for Western Illinois with Bickford picking up the loss. Karissa Kouchis had a double for the Fighting Leathernecks, while Taylor Messer and Marshall each added a single.

NDSU's offense picked up where it left in the opener. The Bison struck for two runs in the bottom of the first when Grable drilled a two-run double off the right fence.

Western Illinois threatened in the top of the second inning. Moreland went into the hole and threw to Grable at third for the important second out. WIU went on to load the bases, but right fielder Jenna Isbel chased down a foul ball near the fence to end the rally. It was one of three solid defensive plays by Isbel in navigating fly balls tossed around by the wind.

North Dakota State pushed across a run in the bottom of the second. Enriquez led off the frame with a triple to right field and scored on Sobrero's line drive sacrifice fly to center.

Menke, who allowed only four hits in the second game, retired nine straight to keep Western Illinois off the base paths before the Bison offense would strike again with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to push the lead to 5-0. Isbel delivered a two-out, two-run single. NDSU closed out the scoring in the bottom of the sixth on a bases-loaded walk to Stifter.

Western Illinois made things interesting in the seventh. The Bison defense came up with two big play. Garcia extended her 4-11 frame to stop a sharply hit ground ball up the middle and tossed to Moreland for a force out at second. That play ended a 15-pitch battle between Menke and the Leathernecks' Emma Jarrell. Isbel also snared a line drive down the right field line.

Sobrero, Ortega and Grable each finished with two hits for the Bison. Menke struck out four and walked two.

Kacyee Hart (6-6) recorded the loss for Western Illinois. Hart struck out five and walked three.