The University of Minnesota Duluth softball team defeated the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats 6-2 on Sunday afternoon at the MSU Invitational in Mankato, Minn. The win gives the Bulldogs a perfect 5-0 record on the weekend and 5-0 start to their season.
On the offensive side, UMD's
Kat Burkhardt chipped in a two-run homer, while
Kiana Bender,
Sidney Zavoral,
Nicole Schmitt, and Kelley Swank all registered an RBI during the victory. Additionally,
Jordyn Thomas continued her strong play with a pair of hits, including a double on Sunday afternoon.
Christin Hartman gave the Bulldogs four strong innings of work, only giving up one earned run and picking up the win, while
Mady Stariha pitched three innings, also giving up just one earned run.
The Bulldogs took control of the game in the early innings of play. In the bottom of the first, Thomas connected on a double to left field, giving UMD a runner in scoring position. During the next at-bat,
Sidney Zavoral put the ball in play, forcing an error from the Bearcats pitcher, which would result in Thomas scoring from second base. The Bulldogs took the 1-0 advantage to the second inning. In the bottom of the second, Kelley Swank walked to give UMD another base runner. During the next at-bat, Burkhardt would launch a two-run homer to right center field to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead. A few batters later,
Kiana Bender would notch an RBI single to right field to plate yet another run, making it 4-0 heading to the third. In the bottom of the third, Thomas would find herself on third base following a single and a couple of ground outs.
Nicole Schmitt would step in and deliver a single up the middle to score Thomas from third and give UMD a commanding 5-0 advantage.
The Bearcats would get a run back in the top of the fourth. However, UMD would go back on the attack in the fifth. A walk to Schmitt and an RBI double from Swank would extend the Bulldogs lead to 6-1. Northwest Missouri was able to tally one final run in the top of the seventh, but UMD would hold on for a 6-2 victory.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will enjoy a bye-week before returning to action on Feb. 18 at the Emporia State Invite in Kansas.
