RUSTON, La. – The University of North Dakota softball team breezed past Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 8-0, before downing Incarnate Word, 2-1, on the second day of competition at the Louisiana Tech Invitational on Saturday.
The Fighting Hawks improve to 3-1 and mark their best start to a season since 2012.
“We set a nice tone offensively in game one and was able to keep that rolling throughout,” head coach Jordan Stevens said. “We struggled through game two at the plate, but executed when we needed to and clawed out the win. We had two solid pitching performances and played good defense for the most part of both.”
In the first game of the day, North Dakota used two big innings to down the Lions in a quick five-inning game. The Fighting Hawks put together three runs behind two hits in the first inning before scoring five more off of five hits and two errors in the third.
Kaylin VanDomelen led off the third inning with a double and Taylor Nadler followed with UND's first home run of the season to put North Dakota up 5-0. UND then scored two more runs off of a botched defensive play by the Lions, which allowed Dani Romero and Angel Love to score after a bunt by Love to go up 7-0. The Fighting Hawks got their eighth and final run of the game from an RBI single by Deja Miller before closing out the third inning.
Junior Hannah Bergh pitched the complete game shutout. Through five innings she only conceded seven hits while striking out four.
Immediately following the win against the Lions, North Dakota took to the field to finish off the day against Incarnate Word.
VanDomelen started in the circle against the Cardinals and pitched her first complete game of the weekend. Throwing all seven innings, she conceded just four hits and only one unearned run, while striking out seven.
Both teams traded runs and errors in the second inning as the Cardinals got on the board first in the top half. North Dakota responded in the bottom half with an RBI double from Rachael Waynick.
UND kept Incarnate Word scoreless for the remainder of the game and took the lead in the bottom of the sixth behind one run on three hits. With the bases loaded, Waynick recorded her second RBI of the game with a single up the middle to score Love for the 2-1 lead and eventual win.
Overall, Love led UND with a .600 average on the day, recording three hits, two runs and one RBI. Waynick went three-for-three in just three plate appearances against Incarnate Word, as she only pinch ran and played defense in the first game of the day against UAPB.
Through the first four games of the season both VanDomelen and Bergh have yet to concede an earned run and have a combined 3-0 record.
North Dakota completes competition at the LA Tech Invitational tomorrow against Missouri State at 9 a.m. (CT).
