MINOT – A busy opening week for Jamestown Jimmies Softball began with a tough pair of opening games.

Minot State rallied from 4-0 down Tuesday to spoil Jamestown’s season opener with a 5-4 win in game one of a doubleheader at the Air-Supported Dome.  The Beavers then completed the sweep with a 6-2 win.

Game 1: Minot State 5, Jamestown 4
Taylor Eatherton completed the comeback from four runs down for Minot State (4-2) with a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning against UJ starter Hope Ransome (0-1). The rally happened quickly after two out. Abby Lohse singled, stole second, then scored on Eatherton’s winning hit.

All four Jimmie runs came in the fourth inning. Kayla Quintanilla drew a leadoff walk, then Abby Blair singled. With one out, Sydney Grendler was hit by a pitch, then Amanda Burch and Tori Olson drew bases-loaded walks. Sidnie Aasen followed with a two-run double.

Minot State answered with four runs, all unearned, in the home sixth. Eatherton singled, then Anna LaCount reached on an error. A groundout put both runners in scoring position, and they both scored on a single by Hannah Murray. Taylor Smith then tied the game with a two-run homer.

Ransome struck out 10 in six and two-thirds innings, allowing five runs (one earned) and eight hits.

Game 2: Minot State 6, Jamestown 2
Again, Jamestown (0-2) scored first when Quintanilla hit a first-inning RBI double, driving in Lauren Weigel, who had doubled. Minot State (5-2) then had single runs in the first and second innings.

A two-out rally tied the game for the Jimmies in the third. Quintanilla and Ransome hit consecutive singles, then Maddie Spaeth singled in Quintanilla for a 2-2 tie.

Minot State took charge again in the fifth. A Lohse RBI single put the Beavers in front 3-2. In the home sixth, Murray singled in a run, then Smith hit her second two-run homer of the evening.

Jamestown starter Abby Blair (0-1) allowed six runs and seven hits with two strikeouts and two walks.

Starting on Thursday, the Jimmies will host the first of two multi-day events inside the Nelson Family Bubble. There will a total of 17 games over three days, with Jamestown playing six of those. Their first two will be against Montana State-Billings on Thursday at 7:00 PM.