The University of Minnesota Duluth softball team put together 3-0 and 3-2 wins on Friday afternoon to open their Florida road trip with a 2-0 record. UMD took game one 3-0 over Pittsburg State University, before noting a 3-2 victory over Assumption College in game two. The pair of wins move UMD to a 10-1 overall record on the season.
Pitcher
Lauren Dixon picked up the victory in game one after pitching seven innings and giving up just four hits, while also securing 13 strikeouts. With the win, Dixon moves to a perfect 5-0 record on the year. In game two,
Sam Pederson collected the win after going five strong innings, while
Christin Hartman was credited with the save.
On offense for the Bulldogs,
Jordyn Thomas tallied three hits and one RBI on the day. Both
Makenna Burslie and
Kiana Bender posted two hits each, while Bender would chip in an important RBI in game two. The only home run on the day came from
Elle Potts, who notched her second homer on the year.
Game One: 3-0 Victory over Pittsburg State University
In game one,
Makenna Burslie would lead the way for the Bulldogs with a pair of singles, while
Jordyn Thomas would also tally a single. On the mound,
Lauren Dixon held the Gorillas to just four hits on the day, while also posting an impressive 13 strikeouts in the win.
The Bulldogs jumped ahead early in game one. In the top of the first, a walk to freshman Cora Maier gave UMD the first base runner of the day.
Sidney Zavoral and
Elle Potts would also walk to give the Bulldogs a bases-loaded opportunity.
Kat Burkhardt would put the ball into play, forcing an error by Pittsburg State. On the play, both Meier and Zavoral would score unearned runs to put the Bulldogs ahead 2-0 in the early going. In the bottom of the first, Dixon struck out the side, and would continue to deal all game long.
Dixon would keep the Gorillas hitless through the first three innings of play. In the bottom of the fourth, Pittsburg State used a pair of singles to get runners on the corners. However, a strikeout and a fly out from Dixon would keep the Gorillas off the board. Still leading 2-0 in the top of the seventh, UMD would add some insurance. A leadoff single from
Makenna Burslie gave the Bulldogs a base runner. During the next at-bat,
Kiana Bender would groundout to first and move Burslie to second. During the next at-bat, Meier struck the ball towards third base, forcing another error from the Gorillas. On the play, Burslie would round the bases and score an unearned run, extending UMD's lead to 3-0.
Game Two: 3-2 Victory over Assumption College
Assumption jumped out to a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first. Though they couldn't answer in the bottom of the first, the Bulldogs strung runs together through the second and third innings to take the lead. In the second,
Elle Potts blasted a home run to left field to tie the game at 1-1. For Potts, the homer is her second of the season. In the third,
Nicole Schmitt led off with a single. After Burslie grounded out to short, Schmitt found herself in scoring position on second. During the next at-bat, Bender slapped an RBI single through the right side to score Schmitt and give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead heading to the fourth.
Neither side would plate a run in the fourth. An Assumption solo homer to center field in the top of the fifth would tie the game at 2-2. The Bulldogs wouldn't be fazed by the Greyhounds run, and quickly regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Bender would find herself on second base following a single and a passed ball. After a fielder choice during the next at-bat, Bender and the winning run were on third for UMD.
Jordyn Thomas would step into the box and register the game-winning RBI to put the Bulldogs ahead 3-2. Hartman would come in and secure the save for UMD.
Next Up
UMD fill meet Northwood University and the University of Central Missouri for a pair of games tomorrow evening. Game one is set for 3:45 PM CT with the night cap at 6:00 PM CT.
