Sioux Falls, S.D.- The University of Minnesota Duluth softball team secured yet another series sweep out in Sioux Falls on Sunday, defeating the Cougars by final scores of 6-1 and 5-4. The victories were good enough for the Bulldogs to maintain pace with Augustana for a tie at the top of the NSIC standings at a conference mark of 17-3. UMD's overall record is now 31-8, a winning percentage of 79.5%.

Talk about a way to open an afternoon, huh?

Well, it wasn't technically the day's first hit of scoring- that honor would go to USF's Kennedy Thomas, whose RBI double in the bottom of the first left the score at 1-0 Cougars. Lauren Dixon would do good work to leave the number on the left side of that tally the same with a 1-2-3 bottom of the second, but UMD's bats weren't able to respond in the top of the frame. 

That's because the Bulldogs instead had something pretty improbable in store for the third. 

Up to the plate stood Corrie Weise, Kiana Bender well in scoring position to her left at third base with only one out. A hit of almost any kind would bring that run home… but why stop there? Weise leveled a ball over the fence to score two instead, giving UMD the lead. Homers are something the Bulldogs are pretty well acquainted with at this point- that wasn't much of a surprise. What was a bit more of a shock to the system was when Kendal Jenkins went up and hit another one on the very next at-bat. Just like that, UMD had gone from nothing to something special in two swings. Make it 3-1 Bulldogs.

It was this bit of power hitting that helped to open the flood gates the rest of the way in this one. A three up, three down frame from Dixon set the scene for a Cora Meier single in the top of the fourth that scored Nicole Schmitt to make it 4-1 Bulldogs. Three more batters faced, three more taken down by Dixon in the bottom of the inning. Up went the Bulldogs in the top of the fifth to put the finishing touches on their offensive output in this one. First, Julia Gronholz singled to send Jenkins on her second trip to home plate of the game. Then, a throwing error was enough to shift Bulldog runners up a base, including bringing Kat Burkhardt in to score. All-told, the score was 6-1, the Cougars holding three opportunities at the plate to cut into that deficit.

Not if Dixon had anything to say about it, though. The junior continued to pitch a real gem down the stretch in this one. After letting up a single hit in the bottom of the fifth, Dixon responded with two-straight K's to put the finishing touches on the inning. The Cougars would get two on base in the sixth only to immediately be cornered into two-consecutive foul outs to send the game to the seventh. Similar story in the game's closing frame- a single was met with two quick outs to wrap up a 6-1 Bulldog W.

So many names to promote on the offensive end for UMD in this first game. Who could forget the homers from Weise and Jenkins, for example. But other Bulldogs stand out for their pure efficiency at the plate. Meier went 2-3 and Gronholz closed at 3-4. Each of them added an RBI to their stat lines for good measure. 

Then, of course, there was Dixon. The NSIC Preseason Pitcher of the Year and reigning three-time NSIC Pitcher of the Week was stellar as always. Through a complete seven innings of work, Dixon allowed just one run, five hits and a single walk compared to seven strikeouts.

Game two was defined by a different offensive pace for UMD, especially early on. In lieu of a sudden explosion of scores, the Bulldogs took care of business the old fashion way- slowly and steadily. 

It started with a simple Sidney Zavoral single out to left that brought Bender in from second to make it 1-0 UMD. Starting pitcher Mady Stariha shutting the door on the Cougar offense with a 1-2-3 bottom of the first gave the Bulldogs an opportunity to do a little more work at the plate themselves- and they did just that. Fresh off of scoring a run, Bender decided to bat one in. Her team-leading 10th double of the year sent Cora Meier home to make it 2-0 Bulldogs. A single walk was the lone blemish on another strong frame from Stariha, who kept the Cougars off the board once again. 

UMD wouldn't secure a run in the third frame, but the same can be said for USF. Not even a walk this time around for the Cougars, as Stariha again secured outs on all of the three batters she saw. This set the stage for a fourth frame in which the Bulldogs would double their score. Schmitt started the festivities with a single that scored Gronholz to make it 3-0. And though they say lightning never strikes twice, Bender sure does. Make it 11 doubles on the year for the junior infielder, as she smacked one out to right to finish Schmitt's trip around the bases and push the score to 4-0 UMD. Speaking of doubles, a two-base hit from the Cougars (their first proper hit of the game) would be the only offense of the bottom of the fourth, as Stariha continued to deal.

But in the fifth inning, this one took a real sharp turn in a new direction.

After Hanna Cress was able to blank the Bulldogs in the top of the frame, the Cougar offense finally rallied to give her some run support- and fast. It took just a single hit by Makenzie Weber and a single ensuing Bulldog error to clear what had been loaded bases for USF, thus suddenly knotting the game up at 4-4. To make matters worse, there were still no outs recorded. In what can be looked back on as a defining moment in this contest, Allison Luoma was able to maneuver the Bulldogs out of the fifth without anymore damage being done.

Next, it was Allyssa Williams' turn. After tagging in for Luoma with one out on the board in the bottom of the sixth, the freshman landed hitters into two-straight outs to keep things tied. That secured UMD the one more opportunity at the plate in regulation to re-establish a lead, an opportunity they took advantage of. Not by a home run, not even by gradual accumulation of baserunners- by a balancing of fate. After Weise was walked to first in the Bulldogs' first at-bat of the frame, Cress rallied off two-straight outs. This put Burkhardt at the dish in a pivotal situation for UMD- and she was able to help deliver. Good contact was coupled with a little bit of luck in the form of a Cougars error, a formula that sent Weise all the way home to make it 5-4 Bulldogs. 

Eerily, the Cougars' do-or-die trip to the plate in the bottom of the seventh also started with a walk. So too was it followed with two quick outs from Williams. What would matter most would be whether or not history would repeat itself on that next at-bat. Turns out, it didn't. Williams was able to force Lexie Swift into a mere pop-out, thus sealing the deal on both a 5-4 UMD win and yet another series sweep.

Bender and Burkhardt each went 2-4 from the plate for the Bulldogs in the big win. Bender amassed two RBIs and a run in the process, Burkhardt an RBI of her own. Schmitt put up an efficient 1-2 effort, one that helped land her both a run and an RBI. At the hill, it was a by-committee effort for UMD. Stariha was strong in her start, letting up three hits, three earned runs and a single walk. Luoma went 1.1 innings, allowing just one hit and one run herself. Williams was brilliant down the stretch, giving up just a single walk in the final 1.2 innings of this one. 

Hess gave it all she had for USF at the mound in this one, going the full seven frames. She allowed four earned runs, seven hits and three walks in the effort.