Duluth, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Duluth softball team used its home-opening doubleheader against Winona State as an opportunity to make a huge statement, as the Bulldogs swept the NSIC-leading Warriors by final scores of 10-0 (five innings) and 6-5 (10 innings). The Bulldogs' overall record is now 27-8, but perhaps more importantly, their in-conference mark bumped up to 13-3. That leaves only MSU Moorhead, currently 11-1 in NSIC play, ahead of UMD in its chase for the conference's top spot. 

Momentous occasion, monumental start.

Down to its last out in the bottom of the first, UMD opened the scoring in this one in about the most explosive way a team could- with a two-run shot. Sidney Zavoral's team-leading fifth homer of the season ended up being just a taste of what was to come.

But first, something a little different: a real grind of an at-bat. Elle Potts and Abbie Hlas did battle for 13 total pitches, a battle that Potts eventually won by drawing a walk. Pretty easy to believe that a duel like that could result in some wear in the pitcher. As it turns out, Nicole Schmitt would immediately provide a little more evidence for this.

Remember earlier when we said game one kicked off in "just about" the biggest way imaginable? No need for that descriptor here- Schmitt blasted out a massive grand slam that scored Potts and company to suddenly leave the Bulldogs with a huge 6-0 lead. Also remember, it was still the first inning. Speaking of firsts… that was Schmitt's first homer of the entire season. In UMD's first home game, no less. Gonna be hard to top that one.

That'd spell the end of the Bulldogs' scoring barrage in the opening inning, but they were far from done in the game at-large. In fact, after a one-hit top of the second from Lauren Dixon, UMD got right back to work- and in a big way. Corrie Weise delivered a solo shot to push the Bulldog lead to 7-0. No surprise given what's happened so far, right? Almost more of a shock that this would be the lone moonshot of the inning.

From there, UMD simply did good business. A three up, three down third from Dixon set the stage for the Bulldogs to sweeten their lead in the bottom of the frame, a single from Schmitt scoring Julia Gronholz to make it 8-0. Dixon just kept dealing, issuing another 1-2-3 effort in the fourth. So to did the Bulldog bats, starting with a Kat Burkhardt double that brought home Kendal Jenkins to make it 9-0. It was Gronholz's turn to get on the board next, her single driving in Burkhardt to finally push the UMD lead to double figures at 10-0.

That meant that Dixon stepped onto the hill at the top of the fifth with a chance to seal the deal on game one right then and there. Quite an opportunity- and she capitalized on it. After allowing a run to open the frame, it was pop out, fly out, ground out the rest of the way. Not a bad piece of work, one that secured the 10-0 Bulldog victory. 

Speaking of Dixon, it was another in what has become a sea of strong showcases for the junior so far this season. The Sobieski, Wis. native went the full five innings, allowing just three hits compared to six strikeouts through 65 pitches. For as strong as Dixon was at the mound, UMD's work at the plate was just as impressive. Schmitt had the game of her season so far, going 2-3 with five total RBIs and a run scored. Gronholz went a perfect 2-2 with two runs and an RBI. All-told, Zavoral, Schmitt and Weise all recorded homers.

All-in-all, game one was an electric return back to home soil. Just about the only thing it could be said to have been deprived of was much drama. That itch wasn't left unscratched by the end of the day- on to game two. 

Admittedly, it first looked like it was going to be more of the same, as the Bulldog bats went off early (and often) once again. It all started with a Cora Meier double that brought home Potts to make it 1-0. Next came some strong base running from Schmitt, who pushed to home on a fielder's choice play generated by Weise. What was originally called an out was overturned after video review, doubling UMD's score to 2-0. Nothing to be reviewed about this next play, a massive two-RBI triple from Jenkins that again multiplied the Bulldog advantage to 4-0. What followed was yet another close call at home, this one created by the base work of the newly on-base Jenkins. After another review came yet another confirmation of a Bulldog scoring a run- make it 5-0 UMD. 

And so the score would stay until the third inning, as starting pitcher Mady Stariha was able to follow a 1-2-3 first frame with a two-hit top of the second to keep the Warriors without a run. Things would get a little trickier in inning number three, as WSU would finally score its first runs of the afternoon. A double from Marissa Mullen did the trick, scoring two Warriors to make it 5-2. Allison Luoma would come in at this point and make an immediate impression, landing two-straight outs to cool down WSU's bats for the time being. The Warriors would push runners to first and second in the fourth, but Luoma was able to maneuver around the situation with a line out. The sophomore would then score a 1-2-3 fifth frame to leave the game at 5-2 Bulldogs. 

But the Warrior that hit the mound in this one continued to wheel and deal herself. Abby Smith had stayed on the hill after a rocky second inning, and her recovery from that point onwards made that decision look pretty good. Over the course of the next three innings, the Bulldogs would connect on just one hit while seeing no players walked to first base. This included a 1-2-3 fifth frame that put WSU back up to bat in the sixth. 

There, the Warriors were met with Allyssa Williams, who'd come in in relief of Luoma. Again, the best WSU could do was get a player to second. The Bulldogs would then immediately land an out at that same base on a fielder's choice play out to Kiana Bender to give UMD a chance at the plate once again. The Bulldogs would get two on this time around, one by single and one by a hit-by-pitch, but they were still unable to add to their lead.

Something that proved costly in the top of the seventh. First, a Libby Neveau single scored a run to cut the Warrior deficit to two at 5-3. Dixon would come into the game after this and provide instant impact, forcing a line out and a fly out. But down to its very last strike, WSU would receive some fortune. A UMD error out in the outfield proved enough to send two Warriors home to even the game at 5-5 and extend it for at least another half inning. 

Emphasis on "at least."

The bottom of the seventh quickly turned into the top of the eighth, which turned into bottom of the eighth after a three-batter, two-strikeout effort from Dixon. Soon enough, it was the top of the ninth, as Smith (who was still in the game and working on 100+ pitches by this point) turned in a 1-2-3 inning herself. The Warriors again got no real traction in the top of the ninth, as the Bulldogs were twice able to turn fielder's choice plays into outs at second base. A walk did finally land a WSU player on second, but a fly out right after made that mute. Once again, though, Smith was perfect. Three more outs all in a row pushed this one to a 10th frame.

Now in her fourth inning of relief after having just pitched five frames in game one, Dixon seemed no worse for wear. The only dent the Warriors were able to make was drawing a walk to first- other than that, it was two ground outs and a K. Once again, the Bulldogs were due up to the dish. Coming into this game, UMD's longest contest of the season was an 11-inning marathon out in Mankato's dome against Missouri Western State way back on Feb. 4. The Bulldogs ended up taking that one 8-5, but they'd probably prefer not to have to replicate the 11-frames part of that equation. Standing in UMD's way was Smith, who came into the bottom of the 10th with 158 pitches to her name in this game alone. Sooner or later, something would have to give in this battle of endurance.

Up to the plate walked Burkhardt. Pitch 159 proved to be a strike, one the junior outfielder made contact on but hit foul. That meant that Smith would, in fact, hit the 160 mark- if only exactly. Burkhardt crushed the second pitch of the at-bat out to right field, sending it over the fence. Just like that, the Bulldogs had walked off game two of their hoco doubleheader to secure a sweep of the series.

The day's second win was one that was truly secured by-committee for UMD. A few names stand out at the plate, like Potts and Meier each going 2-4 with a run (with Meier also recording an RBI) or Jenkins landing two RBIs and a run of her own. Still, that goes without mentioning the various other Bulldogs that made important offensive efforts throughout the long-haul of a game. And at the mound, four different pitchers saw action in this one. Dixon went the longest, proving to go four innings and allowing just one hit and two walks compared to four strikeouts across 67 pitches. But UMD doesn't win this game without the contributions of the three bullpen arms that came before her. On the night of the home-opener, it ended up taking the entire house to get the job done. 

Remember, though, that there were two sides to that 10-inning coin. Even in defeat, several Warriors deserve recognition for a hard-fought effort. Offensively, Mullen went 2-4 with two key RBIs while Abbie Hlas went 2-5 and scored twice. At the mound, Smith really earned that Warrior moniker, going a full nine frames while allowing just eight hits and two walks.

ANSWERS FROM ANDERSON
A day like this would've been memorable if it'd happened anywhere- the stars aligning for all of it to occur in UMD's return to Duluth makes it hard not to get romantic about this sport.

There's just something intrinsic to playing at home that's kind of hard to quantify, and whatever that thing is sure seemed to be at play today. But what made it all even more special in the eyes of UMD head coach Lynn Anderson is that, inherently, the spectacle was more accessible to those within Bulldog Country.

"It's nice being able to play at home, especially because so many more family members and Bulldog fans can make the home games," Anderson said. "Our team appreciates that support very much."

The team sure played like it, right?

How about all those homers? As if the three in game one weren't enough, Burkhardt comes in to bookend the game with blasts by walking things off with a solo shot in game two. Narratively speaking, this is pretty hard to top. But it wasn't just impressive in terms of storymaking- it was sound at a technical level, too. Anderson was sure to highlight this (as well as her general approval of the homerun storm).

"Loved it," Anderson said. "Most of the home runs we hit today were into the wind too. So we were squaring the ball up really well. We also hit some great gap-to-gap shots as well."

But the Bulldogs got things done with more than just homers on Friday. In a game like the one at the backend of the doubleheader, they really had no other choice but to do so if they wanted to pull off the victory. 

Part of that formula that shouldn't go lost in the plethora of stories to come out of the day- two massive offensive plays at home plate for UMD by Schmitt and Jenkins in the bottom of the second, ones that nearly came back-to-back. Both of them were so close that video review was needed to make a final call, but in the end, each effort translated into a UMD run. In a game that ended up going 10 innings, calling each of those moments massive would be an understatement. That isn't lost on Anderson, who extended praise regarding the sequence both to the players and a little bit beyond.

"Yes, looking back those were two plays that mattered in the end," Anderson said. "Nicole made a great read on the ball and committed to her decision to score, getting in under the tag. On Kendal's run, she had a great backside slide to avoid the catcher's tag. Those are bang-bang plays, so to have the option of video replay made a difference. A shoutout to our production crew for setting up those top-notch capabilities. Not every school at our level has those yet, so to be one that does is special."

"Special" sure seems to be a word you could use in quite a few places about a day like Friday. Remember how game two ended, for example. Maybe it extends beyond special- maybe it was just fated. Even then, you've still got to play the part well.

"What a way to cap off a home-opener," Anderson said. "I guess it was meant to be for Winona to tie the game, have it go to extra innings, and us walk it off. Another gritty performance from our team."

And remember the caliber of team we're talking about that was on the other side of this sweep in WSU, one that entered the day on an eight-game heater that had helped it to the top of the conference ranks. Does that give an already storybook day even more of a fairytale feel? Well... at the end of the day, a win's a win. A game's a game. No matter how pretty or ugly they get, they all count the same way. So at the conclusion of what was a cloud-nine kind of afternoon, allow Anderson to provide us with some leveling perspective:

"Winona is a really good team, so those were huge wins today," Anderson said. "It's big, but really every game is big. Every game matters, every moment. We're looking to keep it rolling into tomorrow."