The University of Minnesota Duluth softball team moved to 4-0 on the season after wins over Lewis University and Northwest Missouri State University on Saturday afternoon in Mankato, Minn. The Bulldogs controlled game one throughout, and used a late comeback to get the victory in game two. 

On the mound, both Sam Pederson and Lauren Dixon collected wins for UMD. In game one, Sidney Zavoral notched a three-run homerun to open the game for UMD. 5th-year senior Jordyn Thomas delivered a three-run homer in game two, while freshman Nicole Schmitt added a two-run double to give UMD some insurance.

Game One: 5-1 Victory over Lewis
In game one, a three RBI game from Sidney Zavoral would be the difference. Zavoral tallied a three-run homer in the top of the first. Emma Frost would secure two hits, while Jordyn Thomas and Elle Potts each registered an RBI in the victory. Sam Pederson went seven strong innings and collected the victory for the Bulldogs, giving up just four hits and one earned run. 
 
The Bulldogs wasted no time breaking the game open against Lewis. In the bottom of the first inning, a couple of walks to Kiana Bender and Emma Frost gave UMD multiple baserunners. Jordyn Thomas then notched an RBI single to right field to score Bender and give the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead. UMD wasn't done there. During the very next at-bat. Sidney Zavoral launched a monster homerun to left center to open the game up and extend UMD's lead to 4-0. Minnesota Duluth would strand two runners but took a big lead into the second inning. 
 
The Bulldogs again got walks from Bender and Frost to begin the second inning. Following a walk to Zavoral, UMD found themselves with a bases loaded opportunity. Elle Potts would set in and deliver an RBI single to the shortstop, easily scoring Bender from third. The insurance run gave UMD a 5-0 advantage heading to the third inning of play. Lewis would break up the shutout bid in the bottom of the third, but strong pitching from Pederson would preserve a 5-1 win for UMD in game one. 
 
Game Two: 5-2 Victory over Northwest Missouri
In game two, Lauren Dixon collected the victory after she notched ten strikeouts in seven innings of work, only giving up one earned run. On offense, Jordyn Thomas delivered a three-run homerrun, while Nicole Schmitt tallied a two-run double in the sixth. Kiana Bender kept up her strong play as she tallied three hits in the win as well. 

Neither side would plate a run through the first three innings of play. Northwest Missouri would get a run in both the top of the fourth and fifth to take a 2-0 lead. In the top of the sixth, the Bulldogs would get their offense going. A single from Bender and a walk to Frost would give UMD two runners on. Tomas would deliver an absolute towering three-run homer to center to give the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead. A few batters late, freshman Nicole Schmitt would notch an two-RBI double to center field to score both Potts and Gronholz. The explosive inning opened up a 5-2 lead for UMD heading to the seventh. As she did all day, Lauren Dixon shut the Northwest Missouri offense down in the final inning to preserve a 5-2 come-from-behind victory. 
 
Up Next
The Bulldogs will play one final game tomorrow morning against Northwest Missouri State. First pitch is at 11:30 AM in Mankato.