AMES, Iowa – The University of North Dakota softball team fell to Iowa State in a pair of games on Tuesday afternoon. Iowa State edged UND 10-7 in the first game, before taking the nightcap 16-7.
Both teams were led by heavy hitting, as North Dakota hit two home runs and recorded a total of 20 hits on the day. UND also set a season-high with three home runs in the second game of the day against ISU. Unfortunately, Iowa State's offense proved to be too much for UND.
“We got the hitting and the runs we needed in both games today, but we didn't do our job on defense in the first game, we gave them more opportunities than they should have gotten,” head coach Eric Oakley said. “In the second game, the pitchers needed to settle down better and just come out and pitch seven innings.
“Offensively, it was a good day, we got some key hits and people were getting on base.”
Emily Bell went 3-5 (.600) on the day, recording one RBI and scoring one run. Her RBI came in the first inning of the first game against the Cyclones, as her single allowed D Jantzer to score and put UND on the board first.
Freshman pitcher Kaylin VanDomelen pulled extra duty, pitching six innings against the Cyclones in the first game, and batting 3-6 (.500) in the night cap, scoring three runs. In the circle, VanDomelen recorded four strikeouts, giving up seven earned runs on 16 hits.
North Dakota recorded a total of three home runs on the day, with Elizabeth Cudney, Kim Granata and Jantzer all hitting one over the fence. Both Granata and Janzter also recorded four RBI in the series.
The first game started off with North Dakota taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. However, Iowa State responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning to take back the lead. After Iowa State increased its lead to 7-1, North Dakota scored two runs after an error and two walks filled the bases.
With an 8-3 deficit in the top of the sixth, Jantzer hit a three-run homer to cut Iowa State's lead to two. The Cyclones scored two more runs in the bottom of the inning, and a late rally by UND in the top of the seventh was stopped short after a walk by ISU scored VanDomelen.
The second game started off with both teams trading leads through the first three innings, until a nine-run fourth inning by Iowa State secured the win for the Cyclones. After Iowa State took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, North Dakota responded with a two-run inning in the second to take the lead.
Iowa State then posted six runs in the bottom of the second to pull ahead 7-2. In the top of the third, both Granata and Cudney hit home runs to help score five runs and tie the game at 7-7. However, the Cyclones posted a nine-run fourth inning to secure a 16-7 win.
North Dakota now takes on South Dakota State tomorrow in a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.
