The University of Minnesota Duluth softball team faced off against Wayne State College in a doubleheader at the Pete Chapman Softball Complex on Friday. In the first game, UMD fell to the Wildcats 11-3, while they bounced back to secure a decisive 13-5 victory in the second game.
 
UMD faced the Wildcats in a game marked by a challenging start. In the second inning, Wayne State took an early lead with a solo home run, making it 1-0. By the third inning, they extended their lead to 3-0 after two singles.
 
The fourth inning saw the Wildcats increase their lead significantly. A single sent another run in, and a double cleared the bases, forcing Wayne State ahead, 7-0. In the fifth inning, Wayne State hit a three-run homer and an RBI single, pushing the score to 11-0. However, UMD responded in their half of the inning. Serena Timmer's three-run homer brought in Khendal Johnson and Sierra Thomas, narrowing the gap.
 
Despite the late surge, the Bulldogs concluded the game with a final score of 11-3 in favor of the Wildcats.
 
Allyssa Williams started the game for UMD, pitching two innings and allowing three runs, two of which were earned, on four hits while striking out two batters. Ashley Mandell relieved and pitched two innings, giving up four earned runs on six hits. Maddy Walsh closed the pitching lineup, allowing four runs, three earned, on five hits.
 
In the second game, the Bulldogs secured a decisive 13-5 victory over Wayne State College.
 
The game remained scoreless through the first three innings. In the fourth inning, the Bulldogs broke through with four runs. Khendal Johnson singled to center field, followed by Ava Johnson doing the same, advancing Johnson to second. Paige Johnson then singled, bringing Johnson home. Timmer's single allowed Ava Johnson to score, while Daphne Evans added another run with a single, and Morgan McMillan's single brought Evans home.
 
The score was 4-0 after the fourth inning. In the fifth inning, Khendal Johnson scored on a single by Paige Johnson, extending the lead to 5-0.
 
The Wildcats responded in the sixth inning with five runs, closing the gap, but UMD answered emphatically. Evans doubled, and McMillan singled, setting up Kendal Jenkins to drive in two runs. Sierra Thomas followed with a single, scoring Jenkins. Khendal Johnson hit an RBI single, and further hits by Timmer and Emma Ambroz drove in additional runs. Evans capped the inning with a two-run homer. UMD scored eight runs in the inning, bringing the final score to 13-5.
 
Emmie Sylvia-Cochran pitched for six innings, allowing five hits and four earned runs while striking out four batters. Although Sylvia-Cochran maintained a strong performance through the first five innings, she encountered difficulty in the sixth inning, giving up all four of her earned runs then. Mandell relieved Sylvia but struggled, surrendering three hits and one earned run without recording an out.
 
The Bulldogs now head out to face Augustana University in Sioux Falls tomorrow in another NSIC doubleheader starting at 12:00 p.m.