FORT MYERS, Fla. – The University of North Dakota softball team dropped a heartbreaker to Villanova on Sunday morning, as the Wildcats used extra innings to down UND, 4-3, on the final day of the Florida Gulf Coast University/Four Points by Sheraton Round Robin.

“Any loss when you have a late lead is going to be tough,” head coach Eric Oakley said. “That being said, I am very proud of how this team grew this weekend. Anyone who watched us from game one to game five saw the strides that were made towards becoming a team that will compete in every game.

“Our freshman got some great experience, including several of the, getting their first career hit. We also can't say enough about the performances of Sophie Pratt and Megan Hedstrom in the circle.

“I like this team and it is clear that the enjoy playing together.”

North Dakota started the game of swinging, getting on the board in the first inning. After D Jantzer was walked, Kim Granata doubled to right center to score Jantzer. In the second inning, Elizabeth Cudney was walked and advanced to second after a wild pitch. Nicole Babrowski then singled allowing Cudney to score.

Villanova got on the board in the fourth, but UND responded in the fifth to keep a two-run lead. With two outs, Amanda Johnson hit a home run over the left field wall, her second homer of the weekend.

With North Dakota up 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh, a string of two hits and an error gave Villanova the two runs it needed to push the game into extra innings.

With a runner being placed on second due to extra innings, two hits gave the Wildcats the walk-off win in the bottom of the eighth.

Hedstrom pitched the complete game for North Dakota, giving up no earned runs on 10 hits and striking out three.

North Dakota travels to Wichita, Kan., for the Wichita State tournament on March 7-9. UND starts the tournament off with games against UMKC and Wichita State on March 7.