Freshman infielder Taryn Christopher went long twice on Saturday as the University of Minnesota Duluth concluded its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference home finale with a split against Minnesota State University-Moorhead.

The Bulldogs slayed the Dragons 11-3 in six innings in the opener before getting burnt toying with the Dragons, losing 6-4 in the rematch.

UMD finishes the home slate with a .500 record (5-5) and pushes its record to 34-16 and 14-8 in conference action with four games remaining in the regular season.

Christopher connected for homers in each game as the true freshman corralled three hits and a team-high four RBI on the afternoon. The Kaukauna, Wis. native has homered in back-to-back games for the second time this season as she hit her third and fourth home runs of the season. Her four homers are the most by a Bulldog rookie since current senior infielder Nicole Schmitt tagged opposing pitchers five times back in 2022. 

Junior catcher Kendal Jenkins notched three hits in both games. Three of her six hits went for doubles as Jenkins has a team-leading 18 doubles this season, which also leads the NSIC. 

In game one, the Bulldogs blitzed the Dragons with 11 runs on 14 hits. It was the 12th time his season the offense posted double-digits on the scoreboard. The 14 hits were tied for the third most hits this spring. 

MSUM (16-35, 8-16 NSIC) got an 1-0 lead on a throwing error. Helping their defense, UMD popped three runs in the bottom of the second to go ahead 3-1. Sophomore designated player Sierra Thomas singled up the middle to score Jenkins and sophomore outfielder Emma Ambroz. Junior outfielder Morgan McMillan added her 32nd RBI off the season on a sac fly.

Ambroz put the Bulldogs ahead again after the Dragons tied the lead. Ambroz had one of her two doubles blister the left-center fence to help UMD regain a 5-3 advantage in the third. Later leading 6-3, Christopher broke open the floodgates with her three-run home run to put MSUM behind by six. Finally, the Bulldogs extinguished the Dragons in the bottom of the sixth with two more runs, capped off by a walk-off RBI single by Ambroz, who has raised her batting average up nearly 100 points to .360 with hits in 16 of the last 20 games she has appeared in. 

Pitcher Allison Luoma made the most of her final start at home as the senior picked up her 13th victory giving up three runs, two earned, with six total base runners in six innings of work. The Iron River, Wis. native became the second pitcher this season to amass 100 strikeouts this season, joining her junior staff member Allyssa Williams. 

MSUM turned the tables during the backend of the doubleheader as the Dragons turned an error and a pair of passed balls into six runs, three of those unearned to force a split. MSUM scored three times in the third and twice more in the fourth as the Bulldogs' mental errors hampered their ability to collect their sixth straight victory.

Jenkins and Christopher continued their steady diet at the dish. Jenkins singled in Schmitt and Christopher racked in her second bomb of the day to get UMD up 2-0 early. The Bulldogs attempted a late comeback with three of their nine hits coming in the final frame. Schmitt collected an RBI single to put the club within two in the seventh. For Schmitt, she now has 63 RBI and is five away from overtaking Becky Smith (67; 2018) for most RBI by a Bulldog in a single season.

UMD closes the regular season on the road with Minot State University and the University of Mary next weekend.