Grand Forks, N.D. – The University of North Dakota baseball team dropped the series opener to Northern Colorado, 16-1, on Friday in Great West Conference action at Kraft Field. UNC starter Joe Sawicki surrendered just two hits over seven innings of work, while the Bears' offense took advantage of four Sioux errors to score 16 runs on 17 hits.

The Bears tallied four unearned runs in the second and that would be all the scoring Sawicki would need in this one.  The right-hander fanned six and allowed only two singles to senior Andrew Gudmunson (Minot, N.D.).

“We just did not have an answer for their pitcher today,” UND head coach Jeff Dodson said. “Their offense gave him a good lead and that is only going to add to his confidence. He pounded the strike zone and had a lot of late movement to his fastball. We just have to get going early tomorrow and see what happens.”

Sawicki set down the Sioux in order in five of his seven innings, allowing only multiple base runners once in the fourth. 

UND starter Zac Salfer (Sleepy Eye, Minn.) went seven innings in the contest, holding UNC off the scoreboard in four of those frames. However, when the Bears scored they did so in bunches, getting four in the second, four in the fourth and six in the sixth. 

Only five of the runs Salfer did allow were earned. With the loss, the Sioux right-hander drops to 2-5, while Sawicki improved to 6-2, including a 4-0 mark in Great West game 

UNC first baseman Kyle Hardman had three hits, including his 10th home run of the season to pace the Bears' offense. Leftfielder Jarod Berggren also had three hits for the visitors.

Junior college transfer Craig Dolmage doubled in the ninth inning to extend his hitting streak to six games and scored UND's lone run on a RBI single by Joe Krivarchka (Lisbon, N.D.).

Senior shortstop Josh Nelson (Apple Valley, Minn.) had his career-long hitting streak of 14 games come to a close.

The Sioux and Bears will resume the series with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.