RUSTON, La. – Using two big innings to start the game, the University of North Dakota softball team picked up a 5-4 win against Missouri State on Sunday morning at the Louisiana Tech Invitational. The win improves UND's record to 4-1 and the Fighting Hawks are off to their best start to a season since moving to Division I.
“We came out strong offensively today and that set a good tone for the day,” head coach Jordan Stevens said. “Defensively, we came up with big plays late to wrap it up. It was nice to end on a win and complete a good weekend for us.”
The first inning saw a total of six runs scored combined, but it was the Fighting Hawks that would come out on top.
Missouri State started off the contest with two runs on one hit in the top half of the first, but North Dakota responded with its second-biggest inning of the weekend, scoring four runs on five hits and one error.
Lexi Mayhood led things off for the Fighting Hawks with a single to left field, before advancing to second on an illegal pitch. With one out, Taylor Nadler singled to get on base and move Mayhood to third. Dani Romero followed up with a single of her own to score Mayhood and put Nadler in scoring position.
Angel Love kept the string of hits going with another single to score Nadler and put Romero on third. Love then stole second base to put two in scoring position for UND. Victoria Minor hit another single for North Dakota, as it allowed Romero to score and give UND a 3-2 lead. Autumn Cervantez finished off the offensive strike with an RBI groundout to score Love and put North Dakota up by two.
North Dakota then added to its lead in the bottom of the second with a solo home run. With two outs, Nadler stepped up to the plate and hit her second home run of the weekend to give UND a 5-2 lead.
The Fighting Hawks kept the Bears scoreless for another two innings, but Missouri State began to make a comeback bid in the fifth.
The Bears led off the inning with a double, before a sac bunt moved their runner to third. MSU's Hailee Vigneaux then followed up with an RBI single to cut UND's lead to two, but the Fighting Hawks were able to get Vigneaux out at second trying to stretch her hit into a double. With two outs and no one on, the Bears connected for a solo home run to move within one, but the Bears would wind up ending the inning still trailing UND, 5-4.
Hannah Bergh made her second start of the weekend and pitched the first five innings before Kaylin VanDomelen came in for relief to start the sixth. Bergh conceded just four runs on four hits and picked up her third win of the weekend. VanDomelen earned her first career save, throwing the final two innings without conceding a single run.
North Dakota heads to Florida next weekend for the Eastern Michigan Madeira Beach Spring Invitational, Feb. 17-19. The Fighting Hawks will play in five games, facing off against Central Michigan and Southern Illinois on Friday, Michigan State and Oakland on Saturday, and Eastern Michigan on Sunday.
