The University of Minnesota Duluth, facing elimination in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament, defeated ninth seed Southwest Minnesota State University 8-3 to stay alive. The third-seeded Bulldogs will face the loser between No. 6 Winona State University and Minnesota State University Mankato at 3:00 p.m. at the Rochester Youth Fastpitch Softball Association Complex in Rochester, Minn. 

Sophomore first baseman Jordyn Thomas and sophomore catcher Jessica Bren both homered as UMD fended off elimination for the second straight contest. Thomas hit her 10th home run while Bren added her team-leading 12th for extra insurance. Junior pitcher Breanna Swint carried the Bulldogs in the circle going the distance for her 18th win of the season.

UMD has done well in the first inning this season, and it was no exception against SMSU. With 54 runs in the opening inning of balls games, the most in any inning by the Bulldogs,Thomas put two more runs to that total as she gave UMD a 2-1 on her two-run homer to deep center. 

The Mustangs responded with a lead off double and a single up the middle to start the second inning. But the defense showed up to put stonewall the Mustangs. Thomas snagged a sharp liner at her down the first-base line and doubled up the Mustangs as she touched the bag at first. Swint worked around the rest of the threat retiring the side on a lazy fly ball. 

The Bulldogs capitalized on a costly two-out error on a infield fly ball. Bren ripped a single to center the next at-bat after the error to score freshman third baseman Emma Frost and junior outfielder Jayme Langbehn to take a 4-1 lead after two. Swint retired 10 of a 11 SMSU batters after the back-to-back hits in the second as the All-NSIC Second Team pitcher blanked the Mustangs the following four innings after allowing one run in the top of the first.

Bren added to the lead in the fifth inning. The native of Victoria, Minn., belted a 1-2 pitch over the fence in center to extend the Bulldogs lead to 6-1. Junior outfielder Jayme Langbehn started the bottom of the inning off with a single just pass the diving second baseman giving way to Bren in the on-deck circle. SMSU scored twice in the sixth off three hits to cut the lead to 6-3 and it could have been closer if not for the play by outfielder Sammi Sadler. The senior leftfielder got an excellent read off the bat and saved an extra-base hit as she skied up and robbed a hit to end the inning.

The duo of Langbehn and Bren struck again to grab those runs back. Langbehn had her second base hit of the afternoon drive in freshman pitch runner Ali Schak from third base. Schak was set up on a pinch-hit double by Lexi Janigo, her second in as many days. Bren whipped up a sacrifice fly for her fifth RBI to make it 8-3. The defense held strong in the seventh with a pair outstanding plays. Frost flashed the leather on a difficult short hop and contorted her body to throw out the batter while Sadler made the final out on a sliding basket-catch on one knee.