Kari Gibb/MDN MSU junior Paige Kellogg (24) celebrates a strikeout at the Bubble Invite to start the season. The Lady Beavers will be on the road this weekend.

The Minot State University (MSU) softball team swings back into action against the same rival, battling the Jamestown Jimmies for a second straight doubleheader on Wednesday, this time on the road.

Last year, the two teams played a home-and-home series to welcome the new “Nelson Family Bubble” on the Jamestown campus, and are doing the same this season.

Last year, the home team won all four games in the head-to-head series, but this time around the Beavers (5-2 overall) are looking to change that trend.

Meeting in MSU’s “Bubble” last week, the Beavers swept the doubleheader as Taylor Eatherton’s walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh gave MSU a 5-4 win in the opener, and Taylor Smith hit a two-run home run in each game as the Beavers completed the sweep with a 6-2 nightcap victory.

Since that Tuesday’s twinbill, the Beavers have had time off to practice and prepare while the Jimmies, who opened their season with that twinbill, hosted their own Bubble Invite this past weekend going 4-2 against Montana State Billings, Dickinson State, Mary, and Mayville State.

Kayla Quintanilla leads the offense as she has gone 7-for-17 with 5 RBIs, while Maddie Spaeth is hitting 10-for-26 with 8 RBIs for the Jimmies. Against the Beavers, though, the duo were a combined 3-for-11 with just 2 RBIs.

While the Beavers look to slow down the Jimmies two best offensive weapons, MSU also will look to get rolling against Jamestown pitchers Hope Ransome and Abby Blair.

Both pitched against Minot State in the teams’ twinbill last week with Ransome giving up just 1 earned run in the 5-4 thriller. Ransom has since won 3 straight for Jamestown.

As for Blair, she is 1-2 on the season with a 4.71 ERA as she gave up six earned runs in her loss to the Beavers.

Seven games into the season, Anna LaCount leads the way offensively for MSU with an impressive .500 batting average as she is 11-for-22 with a team-high 6 RBIs, while Abby Lohse is hitting .304 and Smith leads the team with her 2 home runs.

In the circle, Jasmine Blizzard and Reegan Floyd lead the way as Blizzard is 2-1 with a 0.81 ERA, which includes a win over the Jimmies, and Floyd is 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA and the other win over Jamestown.

The doubleheader is the lone action this week for the Beavers who next head to Kansas for the Washburn Invitational, February 21-23.