CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - North Dakota softball opened its 2025 season on Friday at the Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic, and the Hawks battled in a pair of affairs before falling to Loyola Chicago and host Northern Iowa by one run in each contest. UND returns to action on Saturday for matchups with UNI and Drake.
Late inning run production was nearly enough for North Dakota in its season-opening loss to Loyola Chicago. The Hawks trailed 4-0 through four innings, but stacked together run-scoring frames in each of the final three innings which saw UND put the tying run on second in the seventh.
North Dakota stranded a pair of runners in the second and fourth innings, while the Ramblers built a 4-0 cushion. UND found the scoreboard for the first time this season in the visiting half of the fifth as Brooklyn Morris singled to start the inning, stole second and scored with two outs on an infield single from Hannah Thompson.
The Hawks received a big defensive play in the previous half inning as Camryn Lasota, who entered in relief of UND starter Jackie Albrecht to start the third, induced a 6-4-3 double play with the bases loaded to escape the jam.
Unity Nelson took over for Lasota to start the bottom of the fifth and worked a quick 1-2-3 frame to push the Hawks back to plate where they would cut into the LC advantage.
Katelyn Neumayer jumpstarted a run-scoring frame with a base hit up the middle and with two outs in the inning, Morris laced a double down the line in right field to chase home Neumayer and cut the Rambler lead in half.
Loyola Chicago scratched a run back with two outs in the home half of the sixth to push back out to 5-2 advantage.
With one out and Katie Joten and Taya Hopfauf on first and second, respectively after reaching on walks, Callie Honig singled into center field to plate Joten and place Hopfauf at third. With two outs, freshman Makenna Alexander stole second which allowed Hopfauf to take home on an errant throw from the catcher. Alexander would be stranded as the Ramblers forced a fly out to Hailey Bethune to end the threat.
In the second contest of day one, the Hawks went toe-to-toe with host Northern Iowa. UND collected six hits with Morris leading the way with two of which one was a double.
UND stranded a pair of runners on base in the second and third innings and a single runner in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
UNI struck for its lone run in the third inning with two outs in the frame. Makaela Carr fanned nine batters in a complete game effort which included back-to-back punch outs following consecutive base knocks by the Panthers in the third, but the host mustered one more hit, down the right field line, to take a lead.
Postgame Notes:
*Carr went the distance against UNI fanning nine to just one walk while scattering seven hits
*UND put three arms in action in game one with Albrecht, Lasota and Nelson all tossing two innings. The trio struck out seven and walked six.
*All four runs off of Albrecht were unearned
*Morris led UND with four hits on the day which included a pair of doubles.
*Neumayer followed with three hits and Honig added two
*Morris, Honig and Thompson accounted for an RBI each
*Morris and Neumayer along with Joten and Hopfauf
*Honig and Hopfauf each walked twice
