SAN ANTONIO – The University of North Dakota softball team split a pair of contests on Saturday in the second day of the H-E-B Classic in San Antonio.
 
UND (2-2) fell to Incarnate Word, 9-0, in five innings to begin the day before responding with a 5-2 victory over Texas Southern in the nightcap to finish with a split for the second straight day.
 
Incarnate Word 9, North Dakota 0 (5)
After an extra-inning affair last night, Incarnate Word struck for eight runs over the first two innings to defeat UND, 9-0, in just five innings of play.
 
Madi Moore struggled in her first start as a Fighting Hawk, surrendering five runs and four hits in just an inning of work to be saddled with the loss. Lexi Flom finished the game in relief for UND, tossing three innings of seven-hit, four-run ball.
 
UND couldn't get much going on the offensive side in the opener, collecting only a pair of hits. Cassie Castaneda and McKenzie Ryan each had a hit on the afternoon while Alicia Young drew a walk.
 
UIW wasted no time jumping on the Fighting Hawks, scoring four in the first to quickly take a 4-0 lead. All those runs came with two outs before Angel Love limited the damage with a laser throw to nab a runner at home to end the inning. The Cardinals matched their output in the second inning before adding a final run in the bottom of the fourth to close out the 9-0 win.
 
North Dakota 5, Texas Southern 2
Jannay Jones dazzled in the circle for UND to help lead the Fighting Hawks past Texas Southern, 5-2, in the final game of the day from San Antonio.
 
The sophomore, who had a rough go in her first start against Creighton, bounced back with a sparkling performance in the win. Jones tossed a complete game, allowing only five hits, two runs, and walked three while striking out five to earn the victory. She was also effective with the bat, drawing a pair of walks and scoring a run.
 
It was the youth movement who led the way offensively once again for the green and white, with Ryan and Castaneda combining for four hits, two runs scored, and a pair of RBIs. Young, a senior, was also active with bat by slicing a pair of hits to help pace UND to eight on the evening.
 
After a walk to Jones and a Castaneda single to center to place two on with one away, Young smoked a 3-0 pitch into left field that eluded the defender and allowed the pair of runs to score and put the Hawks up 2-0 in the top of the second.
 
Texas Southern was able to cut the lead to one, 2-1, in the bottom half of the frame, but UND answered right back with two more runs in the visitor half of the third. Small ball started the scoring again, as Morgan Flann singled up the middle before a Ryan bunt single allowed Flann to move to third and place runners on the corners for Love. There, the senior drove home Flann with a sacrifice fly and Castaneda followed with another single to left field to score Ryan and give UND a 4-1 advantage after three.
 
UND continued to manufacture runs using small ball in the top of fourth, placing the first two runners in scoring position after a walk, hit by pitch, and a sacrifice bunt. Ryan came through again with a perfectly placed bloop single, just over the outstretched arms of the shortstop, to bring home the fifth run of the game and push the lead to four, 5-1.
 
The Tigers scratched across a run in the bottom half of the fourth, but did not see a baserunner for the rest of the night as Jones closed out the complete game and the 5-2 victory.
 
North Dakota returns to action tomorrow morning against Toledo to close out the H-E-B Classic. First pitch is scheduled for 8:30 a.m.