The University of Minnesota Duluth softball program continued its opening weekend homestand today, hosting the defending NCAA Division II National Champion Augustana University Vikings at Malosky Field. No 2 ranked Augustana would take the first game 9-2 and the second game 8-0 in five innings. 

UMD celebrated Senior Day today; before the first game, the Bulldogs recognized four seniors who graduated last year but did not get a Senior Day due to the season's cancellation -- Hannah Bloch, Lauren Greeder, Breanna Swint, and Jayme Langbehn. Between games of the doubleheader, the team celebrated its current senior class: Lauren Oberle, who returned for a fifth year, Taylor Koehnen, and Jessica Bren.

Game 1:

Augustana would come out with bats flying, scoring two runs off an RBI double at the top of the first inning. UMD would be unable to answer, ending the first inning with no hits. Both teams settled into the ballgame in the second and third innings, with neither team able to capitalize with any hits.

A two-run homerun far out of the park at the top of the fourth inning would put the Vikings up 4-0. Jessica Bren would get UMD's first hit of the day at the bottom of the fourth, and an RBI single from Jordyn Thomas would send Bren past home to make the score 4-1.

Augustana, however, would respond to the Bulldogs' push with two runs on three base hits in the fifth inning. In the bottom of the inning, Koenhen would single to right field and, just a few at-bats later, score UMD's second run of the day thanks to an RBI single from Julia Gronholz.

The Vikings would seal in the win with a three-run homerun at the top of the sixth inning. Freshman pitcher Corrie Weise would come in for Lauren Dixon in the sixth, who would pick up the loss. Neither team would record a hit in the seventh inning. With a final score of 9-2, UMD would pick up its first loss at home this season to the No. 2 team in the country after sweeping Wayne State yesterday.
 

Game 2:

Game 2 started off with a more measured pace than the first game of the day, with both teams record one hit each in the first inning. In the second inning, Augustana would grab two hits and leave two runners left on base. UMD would be unable to record a hit in the bottom of the second inning.

However, Augustana came out flying in the third inning. The inning started with two one-run homeruns to center field to put the Vikings up 2-0. Augustana would add three more runs over the course of the inning to make the count 5-0. A three-run homerun to left center would see the top of the inning close out with the Vikings up 8-0.

The Bulldogs' Oberle would record a hit in the bottom of the third inning, but would be unable to convert this into a scoring opportunity. The Vikings' bats would cool off and the team would not record a run in the fourth or fifth inning. However, UMD was unable to make up the deficit. Jordyn Thomas came up to bat with bases loaded at the end of the fifth inning but the Bulldogs were not able to record a run.

The game ended after five innings with Augustana -- the defending National Champions and current No. 2 team in the country -- taking the game 8-0. The Bulldogs are now sit at 14-6 overall and 4-2 in the conference.

UMD will next play at home this coming Wednesday, welcoming the Golden Eagles of the University of Minnesota Crookston for a doubleheader beginning at 12:00pm.

For the full 2021 season schedule, click here.