SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The University of North Dakota softball team played to a Friday split on the opening day of action in the San Diego Classic. The Fighting Hawks (5-11) dropped the opener, 4-3, in a battle with CSUN before exploding for seven runs in a 7-4 victory over Brown to snap a four-game losing streak.
CSUN 4, North Dakota 3
UND rallied for three runs in the top of the sixth, but CSUN broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom half of the frame before holding on for a 4-3 victory to open the day's action.
Jocelyn Kirk and
Ashlynn Uvila led the way offensively for the Hawks, combining for five of UND's six hits and driving in all three runs in a spirited rally in the sixth.
Nikki Pica was also strong in the circle, but was saddled with her third loss of the season. The senior tossed a complete game, allowing only eight hits and four runs (two earned) while striking out one.
After the Matadors jumped out to a 1-0 lead after an inning of play, North Dakota had its chances to knot the contest or take the lead by putting runners on in each of the first five innings, but could not bring any runs home to head to the bottom of the fifth down by a run. In that frame, CSUN added to its advantage with a single, fielding error, two stolen bases, and a two-RBI single to take a 3-0 lead into the sixth.
UND began its rally in the top of the sixth with
Dani Romero reaching on a fielding error and
Jannay Jones to place runners on first and second with two outs before Kirk laced a ball into center field to bring home a run and Uvila followed with a single to center that brought home Jones and Kirk to tie the game at three.
CSUN answered with a run in the bottom of the frame before retiring the Hawks in order in the top half of the seventh to close out the 4-3 win.
North Dakota 7, Brown 4
Lexi Flom slashed two hits and drove home a trio of runs to help lead UND to a 7-4 win over Brown to close out Friday's pair of games.
The newcomers did a lot of the damage at the plate in the win, with
Alexys Campos coming through with a pair of RBIs on a pair of hits and
Cassie Castaneda also driving in a run on a hit to account for all seven runs on the night.
Kirk and Uvila put a wrap on their strong Friday by each scoring a pair of runs and reaching base a combined four times in the win.
Jannay Jones capped off a strong day of pitching for UND with the second complete game on Friday with a seven-hit, four run (three earned) performance to earn her second win of the season.
UND started the scoring in the top of the second with some more clutch hitting with two outs. With Uvila on second and
Kawena Kalani on first,
Morgan Flann's fly ball eluded everyone in the infield and allowed Uvila to score all the way from second to make it 1-0 Hawks. Flann swiped second and Campos followed with a base hit up the middle to score a pair and increase the advantage to 3-0 after two.
After Brown cut the deficit to 3-1 in the bottom of the third, UND streched the advantage again after Kirk reached on a dropped fly ball and Castaneda rocketed an RBI double to center field to score Kirk before Flom made it 5-1 with an RBI single with two outs once again.
The Bears did not go quietly, however, cutting the lead to 5-4 heading to the final frame of play, but Uvila and Kirk led the charge again for some big insurance in the top of the seventh. Kirk reached on a hit-by-pitch before a Uvila walk put runners on first and second with two outs. There, Flom cleared the bases with a double to left center to push the lead back to three, 7-4, before Jones retired the side in order to preserve the 7-4 victory.
North Dakota will battle Long Beach State and San Diego tomorrow evening beginning at 6:30 p.m.
