HONOLULU, Hawai'i – The North Dakota softball team picked up its second win of the season on Saturday afternoon, defeating Pacific, 10-1 in five innings from Rainbow Wahine Stadium. The Hawks improve to 2-3 on the season, while Pacific drops to 1-3.

It was the Hawks best all-around game of the young season, hitting .375 as a team (9-for-24), and holding the Tigers to just one run on 4-for-20 (.200) from the plate.

Offensively, five players recorded hits, with Taya Hopfauf, Hailey Bethune, Makenna Alexander and Aleksia Severson, all recording two hits apiece, while Brooklyn Morris had one. Bethune hit her first career grand slam in the third inning to help blow open the game to an 8-1 lead at the time. She is the first Hawk to hit a grand slam since Madison Pederson hit one on March 2, 2023, against Texas Tech.

In the circle, Tegan Livesay picked up her first win as a Fighting Hawk, throwing a complete game. The SEMO transfer went 5.0 innings allowing one unearned run, giving up four hits and walking two batters, while striking out two. She did it all in 66 pitches. She has now allowed zero earned runs over her past 10.0 innings pitched.

How It Happened
Pacific struck first early in the game, going up 1-0 in the bottom of the 2nd via an unearned run, off a throwing error from the Hawks. UND had three errors in the inning.  

UND answered immediately, scoring eight runs in the top of the 3rd. With the bases loaded and no outs, Quincie Chunestudey reached on a Pacific error, bringing in Alexander, to make it 1-1. Camryn Lasota and Katelyn Neumayer then each drew bases loaded walks, to bring in two more runs, making it 3-1.

Hopfauf came up next, ripping an RBI single to center field, bringing in Chunestudey, making it 4-1, with still no outs. Bethune then stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and nuked a grand slam, to bring everyone home. NoDak opened the lead to 8-1, doing this all with no outs.

That was all Livesay would need, not allowing a run for the rest of the game. UND added two insurance runs in the top of the 5th, via an Alexander RBI double and Severson RBI single, to make it 10-1. It was Severson's first career RBI.

North Dakota run-ruled the Tigers, taking the game by a score of 10-1, to come away from the Paradise Classic with a 2-3 record. The Hawks will be back in action on Feb. 13 against Fordham at 4 p.m. CT from San Diego.

Postgame Notes

• UND is now 2-2 all-time against Pacific
• Livesay threw her second complete game of the season, now allowing zero earned runs over her last 10.0 innings pitched
• Bethune hit her third career home run and first career grand slam
• She is the first Hawk to hit one since Madison Pederson hit one on March 2, 2023 against Texas Tech
• Aleksia Severson drove in her first career RBI while getting her first career hit
• UND hit .375 as a team in this game

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