EL PASO, Texas – The North Dakota softball team grabbed two wins on Saturday, defeating hosts UTEP 8-4 in game one and then Purdue-Fort Wayne 7-6 in the second game of the day.
Game One
In the top of the second the Fighting Hawks struck first with a leadoff single from Mariah Peters and then two one out walks from Callie Honig and Madison Pederson to load the bases. Katie Joten followed with a single to centerfield that scored the first run of the game. In the top of the third the green and white struck again with two two-out singles that brought in two runs. Honig singled to right with the bases loaded to bring in Peters and Cassie Castaneda and then Pederson followed with a single to right that brought in Johanna Rodriguez and Honig to expand the lead to 5-0.
An RBI single from Peters in the top of the fourth made it 6-0, but UTEP ended the shutout that starter Makaela Carr had in the bottom of the frame and hung four on the board. NoDak answered in the top of the fifth with two more runs, with Joten scoring on a fielder's choice from Izzy Haslett and then a double from Castaneda to bring Taya Hopfauf in and make it 8-4. From there, Camryn Lasota shut the door and kept the Miners off the board to seal the win. The offense barreled up on balls well and Lasota kept Miner hitters off balance as the Fighting Hawks held on.
Lasota picked up the win while Taja Felder took the loss.
Game Two
After threatening with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, NoDak was unable to get a run across. In the top of the fourth frame the Mastadons stuck for three to make it a 4-0 game. In the bottom of the stanza Peters singled through the left side and Rodriguez drew a one out walk to put two on. With two outs, Pederson launched one over the wall in left center to make it 4-3.
In the bottom of the fifth, Hopfauf and Brooklyn Morris both singled and then Hopfauf came in on a single from Haslett to even the game at 4-4. Castaneda followed with the go-ahead single as Morris came in to score. Later with the bases loaded Pederson came up to the plate again and singled to center to bring two runs in and make it 7-4. In the top of the seventh a two run homer from the 'Dons made it 7-6, but Carr closed out the game and gave the Fighting Hawks the win. Once again the Fighting Hawks made good contact with the ball and excellent relief pitching held the lead.
Carr got the win, pitching in relief of Jackie Albrecht, while Gracie Brinkerhoff took the loss.
The Fighting Hawks will be back in action tomorrow against UTEP at 1 p.m.
Postgame Notes
· Pederson finished with seven RBIs on the day.
· Lasota picked up her first win of the season and Carr her second.
· Olivia Dick scored her first career run as a pinch runner in game two.
· Peters got four hits in the two games.
How It Happened
Game One
T2- UND 1, UTEP 0
T3 – UND 5, UTEP 0
T4- UND 6, UTEP 0
B4 – UND 6, UTEP 4
T5 – UND 8, UTEP 4
Game Two
T1 – PFW 1, UND 0
T4 – PFW 4, UND 0
B4 – PFW 4, UND 3
B5 – UND 7, PFW 4
T7- UND 7, PFW 6
For more information on North Dakota softball, follow on social media @UNDsoftball or visit FightingHawks.com.
