The University of Minnesota Duluth softball team is set to host their first two games of the year in a doubleheader against Minnesota Crookston on Wednesday. Both games on Wednesday will take place on Griggs Field inside James S. Malosky Stadium on the campus of UMD, with game times set for 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH MINNESOTA CROOKSTON: Over the last nine seasons, the Bulldogs have been nothing short of dominant against the Golden Eagles. They have put up a perfect record 19-0 in that time. The Bulldogs have outscored the Golden Eagles 152-25 in those meetings as well. 

Earlier this season the two teams met in Springfield, MO for the Drury Classic. UMD was able to cruise past Minnesota Crookston 7-1. Five different Bulldogs recorded multiple hit games, including senior infielder Julia Gronholz, who went 2-4 from the plate while knocking in two runs. On the defensive side of things, senior pitcher Lauren Dixon pitched five innings, allowing only one hit and striking out 10. Freshman pitcher Maddy Walsh came in to relieve Dixon and pitched a scoreless two innings to secure the win. 

LAST TIME OUT: UMD (25-12, 6-6) traveled to St. Paul, Minn this past Saturday to compete in a doubleheader against Concordia, St. Paul. 

In game one, Concordia, St. Paul started the scoring by hitting an inside the park homerun in the third inning to give them the lead 3-0. In the top of the sixth inning, senior infielder Julia Gronholz gave the Bulldogs some hope by crushing a two-run homerun to center field to make the score 2-3 . Unfortunately, UMD was not able to add onto the scoring and were defeated 2-3. They recorded just 4 hits throughout the game. Senior pitcher Lauren Dixon pitched a complete game, striking out five, and walking five.  

In game two, UMD fell behind early and were not able to recover throughout the game. CSP started the scoring again in this game by hitting back-to-back-to-back home runs to give them a lead of 0-5. UMD chipped away at the lead and was able to bring the game back within one run, but fell short 5-6 in the top of the seventh inning. Sophomore Morgan McMillan led the Bulldogs at the plate, going 2-4, while accounting for three of the Bulldogs five runs. Freshman pitcher Maddy Walsh recorded just the first loss of her Bulldog career. 

LEAD DOGS: Many Bulldog players continue to sit towards the top of the NSIC rankings, including Kiana Bender, who leads the conference in walks with 22. 

Junior infielder Nicole Schmitt continues to provide solid defense for the Bulldogs. She leads the NSIC in putouts with 279, while also leading the conference in total chances with 292. 

Senior pitcher Lauren Dixon is another Bulldog who continues to sit at the top of the leaderboard. Dixon leads the NSIC in strikeouts with 160, while 41 of them are looking.