MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – North Dakota State softball picked up a split at the Gopher Indoor Classic, falling to Iowa State 6-5 in nine innings before rallying to defeat Minnesota 5-4 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Bison (8-6) fell behind early in game one against Iowa State (9-5), with an error in each of the first two innings, allowing one unearned run to cross in each inning. Trailing 2-0, the Bison recorded four hits in the top of the third, including a two-RBI single from Mya Boos to tie the game. Two batters later, Jessica Delatorre hit a sacrifice fly to put NDSU ahead 3-2.

In the fourth inning, Bella Dean would add to the Bison lead. After a two-out single from Star Cortez, Dean doubled off the fence in left center to bring Cortez around from first and double the Bison advantage.

Iowa State responded with one run in the fifth inning and then tied the game with a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh with two outs. After both teams scored the placed runner in the eighth inning, NDSU failed to score in the ninth before the Cyclones walked off with a two-out single to score a runner from third.

The Bison out hit Iowa State 15-7 in game one. Dean led the Bison at the plate with a 3-for-3 game with two walks and two RBI. Boos also finished with three hits. Jocelyn McClary picked up the loss in relief, allowing three runs, one earned, in 4.2 innings of work. She had a career high eight strikeouts. Addie Bowers tossed 4.0 innings, allowing three runs, one earned with three strikeouts.

In game two, the Bison broke a scoreless tie in the fourth as Jasmyn Yessian hit a two-RBI double off the fence in right to give NDSU the lead. Ella Claus then extended the lead with another double to make it 3-0. However, Minnesota answered back immediately, scoring four runs to take the lead in the bottom of the fourth.

The Bison waited until the seventh to answer back. The rally started with one out, when Boos doubled and then scored on the next play as Lileigh Nieto doubled to tie the game. Nieto then scored later in the inning on a sacrifice fly from Yessian to give the Bison a 5-4 lead.

McClary, who entered the game in relief, tossed a scoreless sixth and seventh inning to secure the win for NDSU. Yessian finished 1-for-3 with a walk and three RBI. Nieto and Taylinn Warren each had two hits in the game, while Hanta led the Bison with three hits.

The win for NDSU snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Gophers, which dated back to another 5-4 win for the Bison at Minnesota on April 22, 2015.

Following the trip to Minneapolis, the Bison will head back east, traveling to Boiling Springs, North Carolina for the Spring in The Springs Invitational hosted by Gardner-Webb February 27-March 1. The Bison will face New Haven and Lafayette twice and host Gardner-Webb once.