GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The University of North Dakota dropped both games of the home opener to Omaha. The Fighting Hawks fell 6-0 in the first game, and they fell 3-2 in the second game that lasted ten innings.
Game 1: North Dakota 0, Omaha 6
The Mavericks four runs in the first three innings were the difference as they scored took an early 4-0 lead and extended the lead in the fifth and sixth innings to end the game with a 6-0 victory over the Fighting Hawks.
Jackie Albrecht started in the circle for UND. She ended the game with two innings of work as she allowed five hits and four runs.
Morgan McConnell stepped in on relief as she finished the game pitching five innings. She allowed seven hits and two runs.
North Dakota came up with five hits in the contest, as
Cassie Castaneda provided the initial pop with a single down the left field line at the bottom of the second. Castaneda and
Chevelle Sartin picked up a pair of hits for the Fighting Hawks.
Jagger Datan picked up one hit for North Dakota. They battled against the Mavericks, but they were unable to catch-up to the Mavericks who took the 6-0 win.
Game 2: North Dakota 2, Omaha 3
A homerun at the top of the tenth inning was the difference maker and sealed the 3-2 victory for the Mavericks in the second game of the day.
Jannay Jones pitched a complete game as she allowed three runs and eight hits. The veteran pitcher struck out three Mavericks and allowed only two walks.
The game started off with a pitching duel as both teams had a 1-2-3 inning to start the game. In the second inning, both teams landed a player on base, but they were not able to score as it remained tied at zero headed into the third inning.
The Fighting Hawks struck first with a run in the third inning.
Callie Honig was walked to start the inning and place her on first.
Jagger Datan hit a sacrifice bunt to move Honig into scoring position.
Morgan Flann stepped into pinch run for Honig, and she stole third as
Jocelyn Kirk grounded out.
Madi Moore stepped up to the plate and singled to left field to bring in Flann and give North Dakota the 1-0 advantage at the end of three.
The fourth and fifth innings were much like the second inning as the teams were unable to score, which kept UND in the lead. The Mavericks responded at the top of the sixth as they scored to make it a 1-1 game.
Neither team was able to score in the remaining inning, and the game headed into the eighth. UND and UNO struggled to score as the end of the eighth arrived, which pushed the game to a ninth.
In the ninth inning, Omaha scored a run to give them the 2-1 advantage. The Fighting Hawks responded as
Madison Pederson stepped up to the plate and hit a home run to left center to make it 2-2 and send the game into a tenth inning.
The Mavericks hit a home run of their own at the top of the tenth to take the lead once more. The Fighting Hawks were unable to recover as the Omaha pitcher struck out the three batters to end the game. The Fighting Hawks fell 3-2 in ten innings.
The Fighting Hawks return to action tomorrow in game three of the series against the Mavericks. The game is set to begin at 11 AM at Apollo Sports Complex.
