GRAND FORKS, N.D. – In a wild series of events, the UND softball team earned a walk-off win after entering the bottom of the seventh with a 4-2 deficit in game two of Friday's doubleheader. UND won the nightcap 5-4, after dropping the first game 6-4.
Down two and with a lead-off pop up to start the bottom of the seventh, UND's chances of making a comeback looked dismal.
However, Taylor Hansen doubled to left field, Megan Keegan was hit by a pitch, and Emily Bell earned a base on balls in consecutive order to load the bases for the Fighting Hawks. Opting for faster runners, Savannah Furia, Lyndsay Hathaway and Marina Marzolino all entered the contest as pinch runners.
With the bases loaded, the team's home run leader, Shelby Hard, stepped up to the plate. Unfortunately, Hard was unable to go yard and she reached first on a fielder's choice as the Bears opted to get the lead runner as Furia was sent back to the dug out with the force at home.
Mary Martin then stepped up to the plate with two away and the winning run on first. Martin, who had recorded 12 hits in the previous 11 games to start the day, was being held hitless throughout the doubleheader; but that changed quickly for the freshman from Winnipeg.
Martin got a hold of the second pitch delivered to her and sent it up the middle for a single. The base hit easily scored Hathaway from third, and Marzolino was given the green light from second. UNC's catcher Adeline Coldiron attempted to protect home, but Marzolino was well ahead of the throw and collided with Coldiron at the plate.
Marzolino was ruled safe for the tying run, but the collision caused the ball to roll away from home and took Coldiron out of the play. Hard, who was now on third, took advantage of the situation and sprinted home to give the Fighting Hawks the walk-off win.
Hannah Bergh started the contest for UND and threw a career-best nine strikeout in six innings of work. After conceding four runs, however, Kaylin VanDomelen, who threw the first game of the day, was brought in to close out the final inning. VanDomelen, threw two strikeouts without conceding a run, as she ended up earning the win.
North Dakota put together a seventh inning rally in the game one as well, but the Bears cut it short before UND could bring home a tying run. UND had trouble with UNC's starting pitcher Jayme Reddacliff in that contest, as she held the Fighting Hawks to just one run through the first six innings.
The Bears got on the board first, with two runs on three hits in the fourth. UND responded in the bottom of the inning with one run on two hits and one error to cut UNC's lead in half. However, Northern Colorado then added two more runs each in the sixth and seventh innings to take a 6-1 lead with just three outs remaining in the game.
Rachael Waynick grounded out for the second out of the inning, but the play allowed Hard to score the first of three runs for UND in the seventh. Following Waynick, Nicole Babrowski stepped up to the plate with a runner on third and hit just her second home run of her career to bring UND within two.
The next three batters got on board for UND to load the bases with two outs. Unfortunately, the final out was recorded on a routine grounder as the Bears took game one, 6-4.
VanDomelen threw 7.0 total innings and recorded six strikeouts through her two appearances in the circle for UND. Bergh recorded nine strikeouts, but only threw a total of 6.0 innings; both conceded four earned runs on the day. Freshman Kyra Lenzi threw one inning of relief, conceding two runs in the first game to UNC.
Babrowski led the Fighting Hawks going 3-for-8 (.375) on the day, which included the two-run homer and an RBI single. Both Hard and Hansen went 2-for-6 (.333) on the day; Hard scored three runs and hit one double, while Hansen hit two doubles.
North Dakota and Northern Colorado finish the three-game series tomorrow afternoon back at the Apollo Sports Complex. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. (CT).
