ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn. --- Crown College Softball split a series with the UM-Morris Cougars on Thursday; Morris defeated Crown 8-3 in the first contest, and the Storm came back to win the second 5-3. 

The Cougars started the scoring with two runs in the first inning of game one. Crown countered when Zeta Brown scored Laryssa Vik on an RBI single. Morris continued building their lead until the sixth inning when Kaylee Wilson scored Brown on a single, and Morgan Lawrence scored on a sacrifice fly by Hailey Wilson. Maddie Noble and Abbie Carroll pitched the seven innings for the Storm, with Noble going four innings and Carroll going three. The duo struck out four batters on the day.

In the second contest, Morris started in the top of the first inning with one run scored. Crown countered when Kaylee Wilson doubled, scoring Zoe Roberts. Later in the first, Raquel Gonzalez hit a single to score Wilson for the Storm to take the lead. After Zeta Brown scored in the second, Morris came back to tie the game at three apiece. Later, Brown singled to score Laryssa Vik to retake the Storm lead. In the fifth, Ally Adams scored Kuulei Ili on a single to add another run for insurance to their lead. 

That lead carried throughout the contest, however, not without peril. With the bases loaded and one out in the sixth inning, Maddie Noble came in as a reliever to finish the contest. Noble struck out the next two batters, leaving the bases stranded and give Crown their first conference win of the season. 

First-year Savannah Ellis started game two for Crown and went three innings with three earned runs and two strikeouts. Lindsay Glover relieved Ellis, pitching 2.1 innings with no earned runs and preserving the Crown lead. After that, Maddie Noble came in for the save, the first of her collegiate career. 

Crown will next compete on Saturday at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.