ATLANTA, Ga. – Less than 24 hours after being no-hit in a pitchers' duel with Power 4 foe Rutgers, North Dakota softball bounced back in a big way and avenged the loss to the Scarlet Knights by invoking the run rule in an 11-3, six-inning decision on Saturday morning at the Bob Heck Memorial hosted by Georgia State. The win improves UND to 10-11 overall.
 
Rutgers scratched the game's first run in the first inning, but the Hawks' response was full of offense. Katelyn Neumayer doubled down the line in left field to score Quincie Chunestudey, Callie Honig homered to plate three more UND runs, and Brooklyn Morris pushed across the fifth run with a sacrifice fly. An inning later, Chunestudey doubled in Katie Joten who doubled to start the frame as the Hawks' lead grew to 6-1.
 
UND stranded the bases loaded in the third but got back to scoring in the fourth as Neumayer homered to left field to lead off the inning for a 7-1 North Dakota lead. Camryn Lasota doubled in the frame, while the eighth run scored on a groundout by Morris. Tehya Armstrong was plated for the 8-1 advantage after pinch running for Honig who walked following Neumayer's blast.
 
Rutgers managed a pair of hits against Emily Marr, who entered into the circle in the fifth, but came away empty as a 1-6-3 double play ended the Scarlet Knights' threat. Rutgers added two runs in the sixth to pull within 8-3, but Lasota homered in the home half to invoke the run-rule. Taya Hopfauf doubled to start the inning and Honig singled with one out to put runners at the corners for Lasota.
 
The Hawks close out the weekend on Sunday afternoon with a pair of games. UND meets West Georgia at 2 p.m. and wraps up the Bob Heck Memorial at 4:30 p.m. against host Georgia State. Live stat links for the weekend's action will be available at www.FightingHawks.com.
 
Postgame Notes

• North Dakota defeats a Power 4 foe for the second time this season (Arizona State)
• The win over Rutgers gives the Hawks four wins this season over teams that previously defeated them in the same weekend (Northern Iowa, New Mexico, Buffalo)
• The Hawks have scored ten or more runs four times this season which equals the amount of ten-run games combined from the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons
• UND's 13 hits in the win are the second most in a game this season and the seventh game with ten or more
• The Hawks connected on a season high five doubles
• Lasota's game-ending homer is her team-leading fourth of the season
• Four players delivered multi-hit games with Chunestudey, Neumayer and Lasota all recording two, while Honig recorded three and matched Lasota in RBI with three
• Four Hawks scored twice against the Scarlet Knights
• UND struck out a season low two times on Saturday
• Armstrong went 4.0 innings and dispersed four hits and two walks, while striking out two
• Both Marr and Makaela Carr tossed an inning working around single runs in each frame

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