The 2015 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference softball season doesn't get going until next month, but the University of Minnesota Duluth got a sneak peak at one of its league foes Thursday afternoon. The Bulldogs and Northern State University met up  in a non-conference doubleheder at the West St. Paul Regional Athletic Center and the two clubs each came away with a 5-0 victory.

In the opener, UMD sophomore Sam Hartmann secured her first collegiate shut out and improved to 4-0 the season by limiting the Wolves to just two singles and striking out 10 -- a career high. She also retired the final 10 batters and struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh. The Bulldogs scored once in both the fourth and fifth innings to take a 2-0 lead before junior right fielder Ashley Schilling, hitting out the the No. 9 spot, put the game away with a  a three-run home run to deep center. Sophomore designated hitter Abbey Nelson and rookie second baseman and leadoff hitter Natalie Wright each picked up a pair of hits for the Bulldogs, who stretched their winning streak to three games.

Northern State (1-1 overall) turned the tables on UMD (6-3) in the rematch as the Bulldogs were able to generate only three hits -- including a pair from senior first baseman Jordan Rice -- off of Northern State's Missy Elkins. UMD freshman shortstop Becky Smith, who had hit safely in all eight games this season, went 0-for-3 while junior Cayli Sadler (2-3) took the loss after despite tossing a four-hitter and fanning nine Wolves

UMD will return to the West St. Paul Regional Athletic Center next Tuesday (Feb. 24)  for some more indoor softball against NSIC rival Southwest Minnesota State University.