LAS VEGAS – In a city where many people travel to lose, the University of North Dakota softball team cashed in with an opening-day split at the Marucci Desert Classic in Las Vegas, Nev.
 
The Fighting Hawks (1-1) started with a bang, defeating No. 25 Long Beach State, 2-1, to capture the program's first win over a ranked opponent since moving to the Division I level in 2008 before falling to Utah Valley, 8-4, to close out the first day of action.
 
"We were able to combine a quality pitching performance and solid defense to beat a very good team," said UND head coach Jordan Stevens.
 
UND 2, No. 25 Long Beach State 1
Junior pitcher Nikki Pica tossed six innings of near-shutout ball while North Dakota plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning to hold off the No. 25-ranked 49ers, 2-1, in the season opener in Las Vegas.
 
Working into the seventh inning, Pica hurled 88 pitches, struck out a pair, limited LBSU to just six hits and one run, and walked four in the victory. The junior escaped multiple jams throughout the contest, as the defense shined as well to help Pica record her first victory of the season.
 
Angel Love, who was named as a Summit League Player to Watch last week, slashed a pair of hits in three at-bats, stole a base, and scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the first in the win. Lyndsay Hathaway was also strong at the plate for the Hawks, finishing 2-for-3 for her first multi-hit game of the season. Victoria Minor was the final UND player to reach base twice, recording a pair of walks.
 
After a 1-2-3 inning to begin the game, UND put two runners quickly in scoring position after Lexi Mayhood and Love singled followed by a swiped base by Love with just one out. Two batters later, Dani Romero drew a four-pitch walk, with the fourth pitch getting away from the catcher, allowing both Mayhood and Love to score and giving the Hawks an early 2-0 lead.
 
Both sides had chances to score, but Long Beach State's (1-1) best opportunity came in the fifth inning when a walk and two-out double nearly brought the 49ers within a run; however, a strong relay to the plate was able to beat the runner and keep the No. 25 ranked team off the scoreboard.
 
Pica danced out of a jam again in the top half of the sixth, as the 49ers had runners on first and third with just one out. The junior was able to get back-to-back flyouts on just three pitches to retire the side and give UND just three more outs to get.
 
The Fighting Hawks had a chance of their own to add some insurance, placing a pair of runners in scoring position with only one away; however, a strike out and flyout ended the threat to send the game into the seventh.
 
After a leadoff walk, Coach Stevens turned to freshman Jannay Jones to get the final three outs. The Yuma, Ariz., native recorded the first putout on a fielder's choice, but a walk and a single brought a run in and placed another at third with still two outs to get. Jones got the next two batters to groundout as UND escaped with the victory and the freshman's first save of her collegiate career.
 
Utah Valley 8, North Dakota 4
Utah Valley (1-1) used a five-run fifth inning to turn a 3-2 lead into an 8-2 advantage as the Wolverines were able to hold-off the Fighting Hawks in the finale of Friday's action.
 
Hathaway was strong again at the plate for the Hawks, tallying her second straight multi-hit game in just the two contests this season. Jailene Carpio also recorded two hits and scored a run while batting in the cleanup spot. Victoria Minor provided the offense with two runs batted in to lead the squad.
 
Jones took to the circle for the first start of her career, tossing three innings of work. The freshman allowed just two runs on four hits, striking out one, and walking three. Angeline Riley also made her collegiate pitching debut, working four innings for the Fighting Hawks.
 
After the Wolverines took a 3-0 lead through the opening three-and-a-half innings, Minor reached on a fielder's choice to bring home the first run of the game before Deja Miller laced a single into left field to bring home another run and quickly cut the deficit down to just a single run, 3-2, after four.
 
Utah Valley was able to break the tilt open in the top half of the fifth, striking for five runs on three hits to quickly extend the lead to 8-2. UND scratched across a run in both the sixth and the seventh, but the Wolverines held on for the 8-4 victory.
 
 
North Dakota returns to action tomorrow with another pair of games, first battling host-UNLV at 8 p.m. before closing the day with Southern Utah at 10:30 p.m.