April 18, 2007

Bismarck, ND – Meghan Ward drove in three runs and Sarah Moder allowed just four hits and no earned runs as the University of Mary defeated North Dakota 4-2 in today’s second game to gain a split of a non-conference doubleheader.

UND won game one 7-1 when North Dakota scored six runs in the top of the seventh inning.

The Marauders overcame six errors and a two-run deficit to pull out the 4-2 victory in the second game.

North Dakota scored an unearned run in the first inning and another in the fifth. Meanwhile, U-Mary was scoreless and hitless until the fifth inning.

Erin Butori, a junior from Anaconda, MT, came up with a pinch-hit single down the third base line to lead off the fifth, the first Marauders hit against UND’s Marie Kringler. After the next two batters were retired, junior CF Kristi Wist (Saskatoon, SK) was hit by a pitch. That set up Ward, the junior 2B from Escondido, CA, to come through with maybe the Marauders biggest hit of the day. With both baserunners off on contact, Ward sliced the ball down the right field line for a triple, scoring both Butori and Wist to tie the game 2-2.

After dispatching UND in a scoreless the top of the sixth, the U-Mary offense continued to roll in the bottom of the inning.

FR C Dre Brunskill led off with a line drive single and would be sacrificed to second. After a walk to Butori and a strikeout, JR LF Sarah Naglosky (St. Paul, MN) singled with two outs to score Brunskill with the go-ahead run. After Wist walked, Ward came through with her second hit of the game, driving in Butori for Ward’s third run of the game and a 4-2 U-Mary lead.

Moder would walk the leadoff batter in the seventh and allowed a single but got two fly ball outs to seal the Marauders victory.

Ward was the lone U-Mary player with multiple hits in game two, going 2-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs. Butori was 1-for-1 off the bench with two runs scored.

Moder, who improved her season record to 6-8, struck out seven while allowing just four hits, three walks, and no earned runs.

The first game was a pitcher’s duel for eight innings. UND and U-Mary each scratched out a first-inning run. For the next seven innings, though, neither team could score.

U-Mary starting pitcher Hatty Rossow, a sophomore from St. Paul, MN, allowed just five hits and no runs in the middle seven innings.

U-Mary had opportunities to win the game in both the seventh and eighth innings. The Marauders had two hits in the seventh and scratched out three more hits in the eighth inning. Unfortunately, U-Mary couldn’t push across a run.

UND exploded for six runs in the top of the ninth inning. The inning started with a walk and two hits batters. North Dakota would then rack up six hits to put the game out of reach.

Offensively, four Marauders had two hits in the game. Ward was 2-for-5 with a run scored, SO SS Maegan Lunn (Murrieta, CA) was 2-for-3 with an RBI, SO 1B Danelle Lunn (Murrieta, CA) was 2-for-3 and SO 3B Michelle Meza (Sacramento, CA) went 2-for-4.

U-Mary is now 20-15 this season. The Marauders are next in action this weekend at the NSIC Crossover at Northern State in Aberdeen, SD.

UND is 13-16 overall.