(Disclaimer: still in the process of getting a full stats report from the Ferris State contest. Stay tuned!)

Rosemont, Ill.- The University of Minnesota Duluth softball team swept its day one slate of the Lewis Dome Invitational, defeating Ferris State 2-1 before knocking off Wayne State University in a five inning, 10-0 shutout. The pair of wins improves UMD's record to 12-3 on the season.

Talk about setting the tone for a day- in the top of the first, Kiana Bender would crack a triple out to left, one she'd eventually go on to score as a result of. That ultimately left things at 1-0 heading into the top of the second, an advantage that would double after Julia Gronholz would gradually journey around all four bases after being walked to first.

 The resulting 2-0 score would hold for much of the contest until the Bulldogs hit a bit of a jam in the bottom of the fifth. The (Ferris State) Bulldogs were able to generate a run there, courtesy of Amara Zukowski. But Lauren Dixon was eventually able to shut the door on the frame with a strikeout to send UMD into the sixth with the lead at 2-1. 

After starting the bottom of that sixth frame with two quick outs, UMD again hit a bit of a snag. FSU moved two runners into scoring position under those two-out conditions. But that's when Mady Stariha tagged in to generate a crucial third out and maintain UMD's lead once more. 

Ultimately, surviving the sixth proved critical for the Bulldogs. UMD wouldn't score anymore in the seventh, but a 1-2-3 outing from Stariha in the bottom of the frame ended up being more than enough to seal the deal on a 2-1 Bulldogs victory. 

Bender was a standout at the plate in this one, going 2-3 and scoring a run. Kat Burkhardt snagged the lone RBI for UMD against FSU.

A trio of pitchers all played key roles for the Bulldogs in what proved to be a defensive battle. Allison Luoma started the game, going three innings and giving up just a single hit in the process. Dixon, who'd eventually score the win for this one, went 2.2 innings, giving up just two hits and a run. Stariha may have played just 1.1 innings here, but she was massive, too, containing a surging FSU to just two hits. 

The ensuing matchup against Wayne State proved to go a bit differently.

At first, it was a slow build of runs for the Bulldogs- but a build nonetheless. Sidney Zavoral kicked things off in the top of the first with a single to drive in Bender to make it 1-0. In the top of the third, it was a Gronholz hit that brought Burkhardt home to make it 2-0 Bulldogs. Things started to pick up a bit more pace in the 4th courtesy of Bender, who hammered a triple to bring in Corrie Weise, Kendal Jenkins and Nicole Schmitt to leave things at 5-0 UMD.

The Bulldogs looked to be in a pretty good spot- the fifth inning ultimately left little doubt. 

It was subtle at first, a Gronholz double bringing in Cora Meier to make it 6-0. But when Weise brought home both Elle Potts and Schmitt off of a single to make it 8-0 UMD with just one out… it started to feel as if this inning would be a special one. Sure enough, with two outs on the board, Dea Deleon would snag a hit that would drive home Weise and Jenkins to make it a double-figure Bulldog advantage at 10-0. 

Something yet to be mentioned: UMD's pitching against the Warriors. Obviously, for Wayne State to hold not a single run heading into the bottom of the fifth, something had to be going right for the Bulldogs in that department. It started with Stariha, who provided three innings of shutout pitching through which she gave up just three hits on 41 pitches. When Allyssa Williams came in in relief for innings four and five, not much changed. A total of 27 pitches from the freshman resulted in just one hit and one walk. It was a performance that was capped off by a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth to secure UMD a mercy rule 10-0 victory. Stariha was ultimately credited with the win, but both Bulldogs clearly came to play.

At the plate, four UMD players generated two or more RBIs against the Warriors. Bender's late-game triple drove in three, while Deleon, Gronholz and Weise all had two. Gronholz put on a perfect 2-2 hitting performance in this one. Jenkins, Schmitt and Weise all scored twice. 

UP NEXT
Day two of the Lewis Dome Invitational for UMD (Friday, Feb. 24) entails matchups against Wisconsin Parkside and Grand Valley State. The Bulldogs will take on the Rangers at 11:00 a.m. before meeting the Lakers at 1:30 p.m.