Topeka, KS - For the second consecutive day, the University of Minnesota Duluth went to battle with Mid-Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletics Association foes in the Emporia State University 5-State Classic Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs survived a 10-inning battle with Missouri Western State University, defeating the Griffons 10-8, before taking down Washburn University 10-2 in six innings.

In the game one marathon, the Bulldogs scored one run in each of the first six innings but a four-run 5th inning from Missouri Western State (3-5 overall) forced UMD to play extra innings for the second day in a row. Junior third baseman Jessica Bren's sacrifice fly out to center field in the top of the first inning drove in senior shortstop Lauren Oberle. Oberle plated the game's first run after lacing a lead-off double down the left-field line. After the Griffons added two in the bottom half of the first inning, right-fielder Bre Bresnahan responded in the top of the second inning by driving in senior centerfielder Jayme Langbehn with a base hit to right-center to knot the game back up at two. In the top of the fifth, junior second baseman Taylor Koehnen stretched the Bulldog lead to three runs at 5-2 with a double to left-center, scoring freshman pinch-runner Makenna Burslie. Missouri Western answered with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, including a three-run home run to centerfield off of senior right-hander Breanna Swint. The three-run blast gave the Griffons a 6-5 advantage. Once again, the Bulldogs responded in the next inning with a home-run of their own, a solo shot from junior first baseman Jordyn Thomas to deadlock the game at six runs apiece and force extra innings. Thomas' home-run was her first of the 2020 campaign and 25th as a Bulldog.

In extras, both teams traded runs in the eighth before the Bulldogs broke the game open in the top of the tenth inning. With no outs and the bases loaded, senior left fielder Lauren Greeder reached on a fielder's choice to score Bresnahan. On the next at-bat, Bren drove in the eventual game-winning runs with a single to right field that plated Oberle and Koehnen to give UMD a 10-7 lead. Missouri Western State added one more in the bottom of the tenth but freshman right-hander Mady Stariha (2-1) shut the door on the comeback attempt to give the Bulldogs their third win of the young season.

Game One Notables: 
UMD recorded 12 hits in the opener ... Four Bulldogs tallied multiple-hit efforts at the plate: Oberle (2-for-4 with a double, two walks, and three runs scored), Bren (3-for-5 with a double and 4 RBIs), Langbehn (2-for-5 with a run scored and a stolen base), and senior catcher Hannah Bloch (2-for-4 with a double and an RBI) ... Both teams left 14 runners on base in the 18-run affair ... Swint got the start in the circle for the Bulldogs and in 4.1 innings of work, she allowed six runs (four of which were earned) and fanned four Griffons while walking none ... Stariha was tagged with the win for UMD and tossed the final 5.2 innings where she surrendered two runs (only one of which was earned) while striking out one and allowing one base-on-balls.

In game two, the Bulldogs (4-6 overall) struck first in the top of the third inning when Oberle doubled to left-center to drive in sophomore third baseman Emma Frost. Washburn University (7-10 overall) answered in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game at one. A base hit from Bloch in the fourth drove in Langbehn and regained a one-run advantage for the Bulldogs. After a Washburn pitching change, UMD tacked on one more run in the frame when Frost grounded out to short while Koehnen advanced home on the play. A pair of two-run home runs from Thomas (her second on the day) and Koehnen, two at-bats later, inflated UMD's lead to six runs at 7-1. Koehnen's two-run blast was her first of the 2020 season and her third as a Bulldog. UMD added three more in the sixth inning highlighted by a two-run blast to left field from Bresnahan, the first home run of her Bulldog career.

Game Two Notables:
Oberle (3-for-3 with two doubles, a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored), Langbehn (2-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored) and Koehnen (2-for-3 with a HR, two RBIs, and two runs scored) turned in multiple-hit efforts for UMD ... sophomore right-hander Sam Pederson (1-3) picked up her first win of the 2020 campaign and in 4.0 innings of work, she allowed one run on four hits while striking out one and walking one ... Swint, in her second appearance of the day, picked up her first save of the season. In the two innings Swint tossed, she surrendered one run on two hits while striking out and walking none.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs will conclude the ESU 5-State Classic Sunday when they travel back to Emporia, KS to square off with Missouri Southern State University. First pitch is slated for 10 a.m.