AUBURN, Ala. – The University of North Dakota softball team suffered an 8-0 defeat to No. 13 James Madison and a 10-2 loss to UMass-Lowell on Saturday at the Tiger Invitational.
“We've got to play better, it's that simple,” head coach Jordan Stevens said. “We have to take better at-bats, we have to throw and catch better and pitch it better too.”
North Dakota started the third-straight day of competition against a nationally-ranked opponent in the No. 13 James Madison Dukes. James Madison held the Fighting Hawks to just three hits in the contest, and North Dakota also committed four errors as the Dukes put together an 8-0 win in six innings.
The Fighting Hawks received one hit each from Kaylin VanDomelen, Alicia Young and Autumn Cervantez in the game against James Madison. Freshman Nikki Pica recorded her second complete game, throwing 5.1 innings, conceding just three earned runs.
In the second game of the day, North Dakota scored its first runs of the weekend, putting up two in the bottom of the fifth inning against UMass-Lowell. Unfortunately, the River Hawks jumped out to a 4-0 lead by the end of the third.
Mary Martin scored the first run for UND after leading off the inning with a base on balls, before eventually crossing home on a wild pitch. Marina Marzolino later scored the second run off of an RBI single from Lindsey Harford.
However, the Fighting Hawks were unable to cut more into the River Hawks' lead and UMass-Lowell went on to score three runs in both the six and seventh innings to take the game 10-2.
Hannah Bergh pitched the complete game for UND, her second of the season.
North Dakota finishes competition at the Tiger Invitational with a single game against Yale tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. (CT).
