Mankato, Minn.- The University of Minnesota Duluth softball team secured a road split against Minnesota State on Saturday, defeating the Mavericks 3-1 in game one before dropping game two by a score of 3-0. This spelled the end for the Bulldogs' impressive winning streak, a 10-game stretch composed entirely of NSIC contests. That kind of effort's left UMD up at third on the conference charts with a 10-2 mark. The Bulldogs' overall record now sits at a stout 24-7.

A star-studded pitching battle proved to be the main headline in game one, as UMD's Lauren Dixon squared off against MSU ace McKayla Armbruster. Through four innings of work, Dixon had been excellent. A hit in the second and an error in the third were the lone blemishes on a stat line that already featured seven strikeouts. The thing is… Armbruster had been just as strong on the other end. She might not have had the same amount of K's to her name with two, but she'd allowed just two hits all the same. 

It looked like this pattern would mostly continue in the fifth frame. It was an inning opened by a Kat Burkhardt single, but two quick outs right after that put the Bulldogs in a bit of a jam. But fate can change with a single swing of a bat, something Nicole Schmitt would end up proving. A single from the sophomore infielder ended up being enough to send Burkhardt home and finally break the offensive seal on this game, giving UMD a 1-0 lead. Dea Deleon would keep the party going with a single of her own the next at-bat, bringing Kiana Bender to the dish with a runner in scoring position. Consider that run scored, as the junior infielder would smack a single up the middle that saw Schmitt rally home to double the advantage to 2-0. 

Each of those runs proved pivotal pretty quickly, as MSU was able to break its own offensive drought in the bottom of the fifth. A Sydney Nelson single scored Cheyenne Behrends to put the Mavericks within a run at 2-1. With their lead still intact, the Bulldogs were sent into the sixth with a change to build upon it- and that they did. An absolutely massive double from Julia Gronholz came just at the right time, sending Cora Meier home and pushing UMD's lead back up to two runs at 3-1. Meanwhile, Dixon would allow just a single hit in the bottom of the frame, allowing that score to stay the same into the seventh. 

In that final inning, Dixon did quick work to leave MSU down to its last out. A fly out and a ground out did the trick there. But with their backs against the wall, the Mavericks gave one final push that caused a bit of a stir. After Gianna Lara was able to draw a walk, Marina Carter came in to maneuver the bases. It was a decision that ended up paying off pretty quickly, as Carter would immediately book it to second on a wild pitch to put herself in scoring position. That sent Nelson to the plate with a chance to either cut into the deficit or do away with it entirely. But… Dixon had other plans. No better time to tally your 10th strikeout of the game than at the very end of it, which is exactly what the junior did to put a bow on a big 3-1 Bulldog victory. 

What a line it was for Dixon. She paired those 10 K's with just one run, four hits and a single walk allowed. Meanwhile, UMD was ultimately able to find an answer to Armbruster down the stretch. What had been just two hits allowed through four innings turned into 10 by the game's end. Still, Armbruster allowed just three hits and two walks across a complete-game effort. 

That was win number 10 in a row for the Bulldogs. They'd done it in all sorts of ways (and through all sorts of rescheduling craziness), but that number was at 10 regardless. That's pretty hard to do, but it's even harder to maintain. In game number two against MSU, the clock struck midnight on UMD's hot streak. 

It sure wasn't for a lack of effort. In similar fashion to game one, UMD had been lights-out from the mound through three innings, a combo of Allison Luoma and Mady Stariha allowing no hits while the Mavericks landed just three runners on base. But remember- it all changes with one swing. The Bulldogs ended up on the wrong side of that truth in the bottom of the fourth, where a solo rocket from Behrends proved to be a dome homer that left MSU with its first lead of the day at 1-0. No worse for wear, Allyssa Williams would recover with a 1-2-3 fifth to keep UMD well within striking distance. But in the sixth, the Mavericks would break through once again. Three hits translated to two MSU runs to leave the Bulldogs in a three-score hole at 3-0. UMD ultimately couldn't find an answer at the top of the seventh, making that 3-0 mark final. 

Two stories defined game two. One of them was pretty short, perhaps more of a poem, in the form of Behrends' solo blast. The other was more long-form: Kacy Nickerson's performance at the mound for MSU. The junior allowed just four hits across seven innings of work in game two. For the Bulldogs, a by-committee outing ultimately left Williams with the loss. The freshman went three innings in this one, allowing three hits and four runs.