PHOENIX, Ariz. – The University of North Dakota softball team split a pair of games on Saturday to conclude the second day of action at the GCU Purple Classic in Phoenix, Ariz. The Fighting Hawks (4-9) fell, 8-2, to Grand Canyon to begin the evening before rallying to defeat Yale, 6-5, to capture the split on the day and move to 2-1 on the weekend.
 
Grand Canyon 8, North Dakota 2
After building a 2-0 cushion, Grand Canyon responded with eight straight runs to capture an 8-2 victory on Saturday evening.
 
Lexi Mayhood was one of six Fighting Hawks to register a hit, but also drove in the pair of runs with an RBI single. Both Deja Miller and Dani Romero reached twice for UND with a single and walk in the contest.
 
Nikki Pica surrendered eight runs (six earned) on nine hits, walked four, and struck out two in 5.2 innings for the visitors as the junior hurler was saddled with her fifth loss of the season. Emily Rosas recorded the final out in relief and allowed just one hit.
 
After a scoreless first from both sides, UND struck first in the top of the second with a pair of runs to quickly build a 2-0 lead. A Romero single, Victoria Minor single, and Angel Love reaching via an error loaded the bases with just one away for Mayhood. There, she smacked an 0-1 pitch to the shortstop for a single to bring home Romero before a throwing error also allowed Love to score to give the Hawks the advantage.
 
However, GCU responded with two runs in the bottom half of the frame, another pair in the fifth, and four in the sixth to rally for the 8-2 victory.
 
North Dakota 6, Yale 5
In the day's finale, UND turned the tables and mounted a comeback of its own against Yale as the Fighting Hawks rallied from a 5-1 deficit with five runs in the bottom of the sixth to defeat the Bulldogs, 6-5.
 
Mayhood was again solid at the plate for the green and white, collecting a trio of RBIs, smacking a pair of hits, and scoring a run herself to help boost UND to the victory. Love was also dynamic on the base paths, tallying two hits and coming around to score twice to assist in the comeback effort. Marina Marzolino was the final Fighting Hawk to record a multi-hit game with a pair of hits and drove in a run.
 
Jannay Jones went the whole way in the circle for UND, surrendering only two earned runs (five total) on seven hits, striking out three, and walking only one batter to earn her third win of the season.
 
Yale jumped out to a 4-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth when UND was able to get on the board. Love led off the inning with a double before advancing to third on a groundout, bringing up Mayhood to the plate with two outs where she drilled the first pitch up the middle to bring home Love and cut the deficit to three, 4-1.
 
The Bulldogs extended the lead back to four, 5-1, moving to the bottom of the sixth where the Fighting Hawks exploded for five runs to turn the four-run deficit into a 6-5 lead.
 
Minor started the rally with a single to bring home a run before Mayhood brought home another pair on a double to left center, placing runners on second and third with still no outs and the deficit down to just one, 5-4.
 
UND tied the game on a sacrifice fly before back-to-back walks loaded the bases once again for the Hawks with still only one away. Marzolino gave the green and white the lead with a single into left field, bringing home Mayhood and completing the comeback.
 
Jones shut down the Bulldogs in the top of the seventh to give UND the win and cement the spilt on Saturday.
 
North Dakota returns to action on Sunday morning against Michigan State at 10 a.m. to close out the GCU Purple Classic.