Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The University of Minnesota Duluth picked up its first victory in its spring break tour of Oklahoma today, splitting a twinbill with Southwestern Oklahoma State University. UMD, which defeated SOSU 5-1 earlier this season (Feb. 16) in the UAM 8-State Classic, took game one, 4-2, before losing a tightly-contested 5-4 decision in the rematch.

Junior infielder Jordan Rice continued to crush the ball at the plate in the first game. After producing the first runs in both ends of Monday's doubleheader against Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Rice put the Bulldogs on the board once again with her two-run homer to right. Rice would later add another bomb late, for her 28th career home run.

UMD tacked on another run in the fourth to make it 3-0. Sophomore outfielder Ashley Schilling beat out an infield single to second and advanced to second base on a sac bunt by sophomore infielder Daylce Gustafson. Schilling would later score on second on a dropped fly ball.

The opposing SOSU Bulldogs (6-19) added runs in back-to-back innings in the fourth and fifth to narrow the lead to one until Rice put the game away for good on her second home run of the game, her eighth of the year. Freshman pitcher Sam Hartmann started for the first time in the front end of the double header and responded well, tossing five innings of two-run ball on eight scattered hits. Reigning Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Pitcher of the Week Cayli Sadler came in the sixth and pitched a shutout down the stretch to pick up her first save.

UMD dug itself a 5-0 hole in game two and nearly came back to steal the game and sweep the season series. The rally begun in the fourth with no one on with two outs. Three straight runners got on base, then UMD got a pair of RBIs from sophomore catcher Ashley Lewis, who singled to center, and freshman outfielder Hailey Lundquist, who squeaked a ball through the left side of the infield to score the other. Lewis, a Delano High School product,  turned in one of her best days of the young 2014 season, going 6-for-8 with a double and an RBI and made nine putouts.

Two innings later, the UMD knocked on the door again. Lundquist went back to old bag of tricks and singled through the left side to cut the lead to 5-3. Still in that same inning, sophomore designated hitter Abbey Nelson ripped a ball back up the middle to make it a one-run ball game. However, the threat ended and UMD, which left 13 runners on base -- including twic with the bases juiced -- went down in order in the top the seventh.

Sadler, who picked up victories in her past four starts, received the loss but settled down after allowing five runs in the first three innings. In the final three innings, the Brooklyn Park, Minn., native gave up a single hit, which turned into the team's eighth double play of the season.

UMD (12-8 overall) returns to the diamond tomorrow at 1 p.m. to face Northeastern State (Okla.) University in Tahlequah, Okla. It will be the Bulldogs' third consecutive double header in the Sooner State and their first-ever matchup with NSU.