Alex Eisen/MDN Minot State first baseman Haley Hernandez fields a ground ball Saturday afternoon against Dickinson State inside the bubble at Herb Parker Stadium.

Plenty of runs were being scored, but the Beavers weren’t really aware of how many.

With the scoreboard in right field turned off and a hardly visible whiteboard behind home plate being used to keep track of the score, the Minot State softball team just played with no distractions.

“We couldn’t even look at the score (in right field),” MSU infielder Maggie Mercer said. “You want to look every time and say, ‘Ah man, we are down by two or up by 12.’ We didn’t know. I know (head coach Dave Kivett) said in a game that we needed some runs right now. I turned to my teammate and said, ‘I don’t even know what the score is.’ I just wanted more runs. So, that did help.”

The Beavers (8-5) certainly piled on the runs Saturday afternoon in a pair of five-inning, eight-run rule mercy wins. MSU topped Minnesota Crookston in Game 1, 11-3, and Dickinson State in Game 2, 9-1.

“We had to play a complete day,” Kivett said. “We haven’t seen that in a little bit and the kids did that. They really took on the challenge and did exactly that. They found a way to complete a day without having an up-and-down game. The kids are starting to come around and work better together and trust each other.”

MSU jumped out to an 11-0 lead against Crookston through four innings, as seven different players recorded an RBI.

Karlee Coughlin led the way with a 3-for-4 outing, while Julia Suchan went 2-for-3 with a double.

Pitcher Laura Mendez gave up the shutout bid with three runs (two earned) in the fourth inning.

“Laura just had one inning where she lost a little bit of focus,” Kivett said. “Those are things we are going to try to fix.”

The Beavers made quick work of the Blue Hawks in Game 2 as well by building up an 8-0 lead after the first four innings. Dickinson State forced MSU to bat in the bottom half of the fifth after plating a sacrifice fly.

Mercer went 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBIs, including the walk-off RBI single in the fifth inning to push the lead out to eight runs.

“Today was probably one of the best days we have played as a team,” Mercer said. “It really showed. Instead of being individuals, we came together as a team. I feel that’s the reason we are winning games.”

Lauren Cowden, Kiera Shwaluk and Coughlin each had two hits in the game.

Cowden had a two-run triple in the second inning and added an RBI single in the fourth inning.

Coughlin provided an RBI double and single.

Shwaluk also crossed home plate twice to score two runs.

“I was a lot more confident at the plate today, I’ve been working on that,” Shwaluk said. “Everyone has been working on having a strong mental game. So, when you are at the plate, you know you are the best person for the job.”

Freshman Zoya Robbins pitched all five inning for the Beavers in Game 2. She gave up five hits and five walks but only allowed one run.

Despite a pair of mercy-rule wins, there is always something to improve on.

“Our kids did a really good job of swinging the bat today,” Kivett said. “But, to nitpick and one of my pet peeves is watching strike three go by without taking a swing at it or something like that. They adjusted after I addressed that and some of them actually hit some really good shots with two strikes because we are taking good swings at close pitches.”

The Beavers are back in action this afternoon with the same schedule as Saturday. MSU hosts Minnesota Crookston (noon) and Dickinson State (2 p.m.) in the air-supported dome at Herb Parker Stadium.

Alex Eisen covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.