FARGO, N.D. – Callie Honig's fourth home run of the season, a solo shot to straightaway centerfield in the second inning of Saturday's Summit League series opener against North Dakota State, was more than enough for Jackie Albrecht who fired a complete-game, two-hit shutout of the host Bison as the Fighting Hawks split the day's action from Tharaldson Park. NDSU bounced back in game two with an 8-0 win in five innings. UND's overall record moves to 23-19 with a 6-5 mark in SL play, while NDSU moves to 16-21 overall with a 3-5 mark in league action.
 
Honig's first at bat saw a full count pitch leave the yard to the deepest part of the park and it stood as the most important hit of the day for the Hawks. Albrecht went the distance allowing just two base hits and four walks, while fanning six to earn her third-straight win. She faced just three batters over the minimum as she benefited from a pair of 6-4-3 double plays, while also working around a Bison baserunner at third in the home half of the first.
 
In the opener, the Hawks flashed the leather as in addition to the Joten-Dumlao-Neumayer double plays, UND saw catcher Taya Hopfauf utilize an impressive block and recover on a turf ball and then fire behind a runner at second to end the bottom of third. Two innings later, right fielder Quincie Chunestudey erased a leadoff base runner at first on a ground ball through the right side for a 9-3 groundout in the fifth inning.
 
It was all NDSU in game two as the host recorded ten hits including a first pitch solo home run to end the contest in the fifth inning. UND used three arms in the loss as Makaela Carr, Tehya Armstrong and Emily Marr all tossed for the Hawks. UND recorded three hits with Joten, Neumayer and Honig all reaching via base knock.
 
The Hawks and the Bison decide the series at high noon on Sunday in Fargo. Live coverage links for the series are available at www.FightingHawks.com.
 
For more information on North Dakota softball, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDsoftball.

Postgame Notes

• UND' six-game win streak following its game one win was the Hawks' longest such streak ever as a Summit League member (2019) and the longest since winning seven straight from February 24 through March 3 in 2018
• The win in the series opener marked the tenth victory for the Hawks this season that has been decided by two or fewer runs and the 19^th game overall
• Albrecht's previous two Summit League outings have produced sterling numbers as she is 2-0 with a pair of complete games over 14.0 innings pitched, while allowing just three hits and an unearned run to go along with 13 strikeouts
• Albrecht is six strikeouts away from becoming the fourth pitcher in program history with 400 career strikeouts
• Honig's two hits in the opener runs her multi-hit game total this season to 11 games
• Neumayer's hitting streak moved to an active team-best four games, while her active reached base streak grew to a team-leading six games
• Honig's hit streak improved to three games and she has reached safely in each of the past four games
• Joten is two hits away from reaching 100 for her career as a Fighting Hawk
• A win on Sunday would give UND its first series win in Fargo in its Division I membership (2009) and the first since taking both ends of a doubleheader on April 17, 1995