WILMINGTON, N.C. -- The University of North Dakota softball team split of pair of games on Friday to open the Seahawk Invitational in Wilmington, N.C. The Fighting Hawks dropped a 4-2 decision to Georgetown to open the day before a dominant pitching performance by Nikki Pica led the green and white to a 1-0 win over Presbyterian to cap off a strong day in the circle. 

Georgetown 4, North Dakota 2
In a game that featured only seven combined hits, the Hoyas capitalized for three runs over the fifth and sixth innings to collect a 4-2 win over the Fighting Hawks on Friday morning. 

Jannay Jones, the reigning Summit League Pitching of the Week, threw her fourth straight complete game in the losing effort, allowing only four hits and four runs while striking out a season-best six hitters to fall to 3-7 this season. 

It was the bottom of the order who provided the offense for the Hawks, with Ashlynn Uvila and Alicia Young each driving in a run and collecting a hit, to give Uvila five RBIs over her last three games. Angel Love also reached a pair of times on two walks and scored a run, but UND was held to only three hits. 

With the Hoyas leading 1-0 in the bottom of the second, UND knotted the game at one when Uvila drove a one-out, RBI single up the middle to score Love after the senior drew a walk and swiped second to lead to the run. 

Neither team could muster any more offense until the top of the fifth, when Georgetown added two runs to open up a 3-1 lead before a double play erased any further threat to keep the deficit at a pair. 

It only took one batter for the Hawks to chip into the lead, as Young launched a pitch over the right field fence for a solo shot, but the Hoyas answered with a run in the top of the sixth and held off UND for the 4-2 victory. 

North Dakota 1, Presbyterian College 0 
Nikki Pica scattered six hits and struck out five to fire the first complete-game shutout victory of her career to help lead UND over Presbyterian to cap off Friday's action. 

UND mustered only two hits on offense, but a well-placed bunt by Alexys Campos forced a throwing error by the pitcher to score the only run of the game in the bottom of the fifth for the Hawks in the victory. 

Both teams placed runners on in the early innings, but the Blue Hose moved only one runner into scoring position as Pica and the defense limited the damage to soft contact. 

The Hawks finally broke through in the fifth, as Morgan Flann drew a one-out walk before swiping second and coming around to score on the Campos bunt and throwing error to give the green and white a 1-0 lead. 

PC threatened in both the sixth and seventh innings by placing a pair of runners in scoring position; however, picked up huge groundouts to end the threats and give UND the 1-0 win. 

North Dakota returns to action tomorrow with a pair of games against UNC Wilmington (11:30 a.m.) and Presbyterian (4:30 p.m.).