Traveling back to St. Cloud, Minnesota for the second time this week after weather forced the team's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader against Minnesota State University Mankato out of the Mavericks' home park, the University of Minnesota Duluth rallied for a split with a 10-0 mercy-rule victory in the nightcap after MSU used a dominating pitching performance to take game one 2-1.

UMD (13-8, 2-2 NSIC) found itself in a pitcher's duel on game one as junior left-hander Sam Hartmann (5-4) scattered 10 hits over six innings of work, allowing just a pair of earned runs while striking out six. On the other side of the diamond, junior right-hander Coley Ries (13-4) went the distance, allowing just three hits while striking out 16 Bulldogs.

Minnesota State (21-9, 4-2 NSIC) struck for the first score of the afternoon in the bottom of the second when junior Ashley Thell lifted a ground-rule double, the Mavericks' lone extra-base effort of the game and eventually came around to score on an RBI single by McKenzie Paap, who drove in both of MSU's runs in the opener. The Bulldogs came back with a run of their own in the top of the next inning after walk to first-year catcher Hannah Bloch led off the inning, which followed by a single, a hit by pitch, and a bases loaded walk to senior infielder Sami Schnyder that knotted the game at one apiece.

UMD had a chance to take the lead with a single by sophomore outfielder Hannah Schmoll and a double by sophomore infielder Natalie Wright in the top of the fifth with one out. but Ries shut the door with a pair of strikeouts to close out the inning. Paap would drive in her second run of the evening in the bottom of the sixth, driving in sophomore outfielder Jess Miedli who led off the inning with a bunt single. Ries closed it out with a one-two-three top of the seventh to hand the Bulldogs a defeat in the opener.

UMD 10, Minnesota State 0 (5)
After a quiet offensive first game, the Bulldogs came out swinging in the nightcap, popping for five runs in the top of the third inning. Bloch, who the team calls Sparky, provided that offensive spark leading off the inning with a double and advancing to third on a passed ball. After a pair of quick outs, the Bulldogs rallied. Schmoll walked, bringing up Wright who doubled home Bloch and sent her to third. Schnyder forced a full count to load the bases for sophomore shortstop Becky Smith, who took a hack at a 2-1 pitch and did not miss, launching a grand slam (4) to give senior right-hander Cayli Sadler (8-4) some breathing room on the mound.

Minneota State looked to be setting up a rally in the bottom of the inning, with senior infielder Karli DesLauriers hitting a double off Sadler, turning towards home on another single by Paap but being caught up between third and home, eventually out on a play that went right field to catcher to third base to catcher for rally stopper. From there, the Bulldogs went back to work with their bats in the top of the fourth, striking for five more runs on five hits against senior left-handed reliever Kaylie Koponen, bringing sophomore starter Libby Bemis back to the mound to eventually get them out of the inning as Smith was caught stealing for the third out, but not before the fifth run came around to score. Sadler closed out the complete game effort with 5.0 innings, striking out two and allowing just three hits.

UP NEXT
UMD continues NSIC play on Monday afternoon on the road at Concordia University, St. Paul. First pitch is set for 12:00 p.m.