College Softball: Hawks Split Double Header with Portland State
UND's Marina Marzolino Homers in Game 2 victory.
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND Athletics) – After suffering a 5-0 loss in extra innings to start the day, the University of North Dakota softball team rallied for a 6-4 win in the nightcap of Friday’s doubleheader against Portland State.
Redshirt junior pitcher Kaylin VanDomelen did everything she could in the first game to get UND the victory, but Portland State’s pitcher Alyssa Burk matched VanDomelen, as the two teams found themselves scoreless with three hits apiece through nine innings.
The Vikings then used a huge 10th inning to score five runs on six hits for their sixth Big Sky Conference win of the season.
Portland State carried the momentum from the extra-innings win into the nightcap. The Vikings scored four runs on five hits in the top of the second for its second lead of the day.
North Dakota then finally broke the Vikings’ shutout streak, scoring a lone run in the bottom of the fourth off two hits. An RBI-double by Dani Romero scored Marina Marzolino for the Fighting Hawk’s first run of the day.
After taking the momentum away from the Vikings, North Dakota continued to turn up the offense in the bottom of the fifth.
Lindsey Harford led off the frame reaching on an error. Later with two outs, VanDomelen singled to get on base and put Harford in scoring position. Taylor Nadler then followed up with a first pitch single to score Harford. With two on, Marzolino then blasted one over the center field wall to score three and put UND up 6-4.
In the top of the seventh, UND had two great defensive plays by Harford and Nadler to keep the Vikings from scoring and to secure the win for North Dakota.
On the day, Mary Martin led the UND batters with a .400 average, recording two hits in five at-bats. Marzolino had two hits in seven at-bats for a .286 average, scoring two runs, batting in three and recording five bases.
Hannah Bergh picked up the win in the nightcap, striking out five Vikings through seven innings.
North Dakota and Portland State finish off the Big Sky series with a third game tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. (CT).
