TEMPE, Ariz. – North Dakota softball engineered a five-hit, six-run third inning to break Friday night's tilt with Littlewood Classic host Arizona State wide open and then the Hawks added three more runs in a three-hit sixth inning to summon the run rule in a 10-1 win over the Sun Devils from inside Farrington Stadium. The victory was a bounce back effort for UND who dropped its first game of the day against #21 Oregon. The Hawks improve to 4-3 on the season.
 
It was all North Dakota in the nightcap as the Hawks struck in their third trip to the plate against ASU starter Cambree Creager. Katie Joten recorded her second hit of the game with a base hit up the middle to move Quincie Chunestudey to second. Brooklyn Morris sent a 2-0 pitch back up the middle to plate Chunestudey and give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. A wild pitch and a walk to Callie Honig loaded the bases with one out and Katelyn Neumayer dropped a hit into right field to plate Joten for a 2-0 lead.
 
That action prompted a pitching change for the Sun Devils, but it only got worse for the host with Julianne Tipton in the circle facing the Hawks offense. Angie Dumlao contacted the first pitch she saw in the frame and a throwing error allowed her to reach, Morris to score for an RBI and Tehya Armstrong, who pinch ran, to scratch across on the error for a 4-0 UND advantage.
 
The Hawks weren't done as Alaina Foreman singled through the right side on the first pitch from Tipton allowing Neumayer and Dumlao to race home for a 6-0 North Dakota cushion.
 
Armstrong pinch running for the Hawks was not the start of her evening. The freshman started in the circle for North Dakota and proceeded to keep the Sun Devils off balance offensively for nearly three innings. ASU managed just two hits and two walks against the collegiate rookie before the host threatened by loading the bases with with two gone in the third. Makaela Carr took over for Armstrong and handled the Sun Devils the rest of the way tossing 3.1 innings scattering four hits and a walk, while allowing just one run to the BIG 12 foe to earn her second win of the season.
 
North Dakota plated a single run in the fourth as Honig pushed across Chunestudey on a batted ball through the left side and more than enough insurance was supplied in the sixth. Honig doubled, her second of the season, with two outs to score two and Neumayer followed in the ensuing at bat to chase home Honig who finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored.
 
Against the nationally ranked Ducks, who entered with one of the nation's most potent offenses, North Dakota held its own early as UND starter Jackie Albrecht and freshman reliever Unity Nelson each stranded a pair of Ducks on the basepaths in the first two frames. UO was held hitless in their first two trips to the plate, with the lone run coming on a wild pitch in the top of the first.
 
The Ducks struck in the third as a leadoff walk scored on a two-run homer by Oregon's Paige Sinicki with two outs in the inning to give the B1G foe a 3-0 lead. UND's Taya Hopfauf drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the inning but was erased at second to end the Hawks' scoring chance.
 
Oregon produced runners at the corners in the fourth with two outs in the frame, but Katie Joten fired to Hopfauf at the plate to mow down what would have been the fourth Duck run and end the inning.
 
UO broke through in the fifth with a pair of home runs and an RBI double highlighting a six-hit, six-run frame that helped stake the Ducks to the run-rule win. In the bottom half of the frame, Dumlao broke up the no-hitter with an infield single and UND loaded the bases before a double play and a strikeout ended the contest.
 
The Hawks return to action on Saturday in Phoenix for contests against Utah Valley (2:15 p.m.) and (RV) Grand Canyon (7:30 p.m.). Fans can watch streams of each game with the UVU contest available on Youtube and the GCU matchup available on ESPN+. Live links for both contests will be available at www.FightingHawks.com.
 
Postgame Notes

• The win over Arizona State is the first over a Power 4/5 opponent since the Hawks took down Michigan State 9-5 on February 24, 2019, at the GCU Purple Classic in Phoenix. Two days prior to that victory, the Hawks beat the Spartans 6-5
• North Dakota's victory over the Sun Devils is the program's first road win over a Power 4/5 foe since edging Iowa State 1-0 in Ames on Valentines Day 2016, nine years ago to the day
• North Dakota has won four of its past five games against Division I competition for the first time since the conclusion of the 2023 season
• UND is above .500 through seven games for the first time since 2017
• In the ASU win, the Hawks matched their single game output this season in at bats (31) and RBI (9) and scored a season-high 10 runs
• North Dakota was flawless in the field cleanly fielding nine ground balls and eight fly outs
• UND held ASU to just a 1-for-7 effort with runners in scoring position and to a 2-for-12 result with runners on
• Six of North Dakota's ten runs were plated with two outs
• Four Hawks delivered four-hit nights against the Sun Devils as Joten, Honig, Neumayer and Hopfauf all had multi-hit evenings
• Honig led with three RBI, while Neumayer and Alaina Foreman each recorded a pair
• Chunestudey and Morris each scored twice against the Sun Devils
• Neumayer's reached base safely streak moves to seven games, while Hopfauf's increases to three

 
For more information on North Dakota softball, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDsoftball.