GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The University of North Dakota softball home-opening series spoiled by the Northern Colorado Bears on Friday afternoon. The Bears posted scores of 10-6 and 10-2 to take the first two games of the three-game series.
“Today was just a difference between a team that got hits in timely situations and a team that didn't,” head coach Eric Oakley said. “We didn't get the timely hits that we needed to be able to compete today. It's frustrating since we certainly had the runners on, but we just didn't get the hits.”
Both D Jantzer and Caralyn Chewning hit 5-7 (.714) on the day, leading the way for UND's batters. Jantzer hit a solo home run in the second inning of the night cap for her third home run of the season. She also batted in three runs and scored two of her own.
Senior Courtney Gonzales also stepped up big for UND, taking over catching duties early in the first game and going 3-6 (.500) on the day with two RBI and one run scored.
Freshman pitcher Megan Hedstrom threw well in relief for UND, throwing a total of 2.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits for a 3.00 ERA. Fellow freshman pitcher Kaylin VanDomelen started the first game, pitching five innings, and conceded seven earned runs while also striking out two UNC batters.
Chewning started in the circle for UND in the second game of the doubleheader, but was replaced by VanDomelen after 2.1 innings worth of work. Chewning threw two strikeouts while giving up four hits. VanDomelen recorded two more strike outs in the second game through 2.1 innings, before Hedstrom finished the final out for UND.
The first game started off harmlessly, with both sides failing to score in the first inning. However, Northern Colorado powered in five runs in the top of the second to take a 5-0 lead. The Bears then added three more runs with the help of two errors in the top of the fourth to go up 8-0.
North Dakota responded in the bottom of the inning with three runs to cut its deficit back to five. Jantzer led off with a home run out to left center. Later in the inning with two outs, Taylor Hansen got on base and a double by Gonzales drove her home. A single by Chewning advanced Gonzales to third and Elizabeth Cudney, coming in to pinch hit, singled to score Gonzales.
Northern Colorado put up two runs in the top of the fifth to take a 10-3 lead. UND put up three more runs to bring the score back to 10-6 after the five innings.
Emily Bell led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to right field. Jantzer followed up with another single, before a double by Kim Granata scored Bell. A wild pitch then allowed Jantzer to safely cross home plate and put Granata on third. A single by Gonzales with two outs scored Granata.
The sixth run by UND would be the last run UNC's pitcher Megan Wilkinson would concede on the day. North Dakota was unable to cut into the UNC 10-6 lead before the end of the seventh inning.
In the second game, Northern Colorado went up 3-0 behind a three-run homer by Mikayla Duffy. UND responded with a string of four hits, scoring Chewning to get on the board in the bottom of the first.
North Dakota added another lone run in the bottom of the second after a single by Jantzer scored Autumn Cervantez from second.
With the UNC's lead down to one at 3-2, the Bears put up another three-run homer in the top of the third to extend its lead to 6-2. In the bottom of the inning, UND got two runners on base and threaten to score again. UNC put Wilkinson back in the circle, and she closed out the rest of the game without giving up a hit to UND.
Wilkinson's pitching combined with a four-run fourth inning by the Bears gave UNC the 10-2 victory.
North Dakota and Northern Colorado wrap up the three-game series Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
