BISMARCK, N.D. - Dispersing 22 hits in the doubleheader today, the University of Mary Softball team snapped out of their offensive slump to earn the sweep over Bemidji State University, as the Marauders found a groove in the first game to earn the 3-2 victory, and followed that up with an offensive showing in the second game for the 7-3 win.
 
The Marauders (14-19, 3-4 NSIC) were lacking the spark in the bats in the previous week, but found them back at home as the Beavers (12-12, 3-5 NSIC) had no answer for U-Mary in either game.
 
The first one saw warm weather as the temperature hovered in the mid-sixties through most of the game, and the Marauders wasted little time getting runs across the plate.
 
There was no score through the first two innings, but U-Mary was able to break the levee and registered the first runs of the game in the bottom of the third. Nicole O'Haver led off the inning with a single to center field and ended up at second as she got the stolen base in during the next at bat. Alana Norman moved her over to third with a single through the left side and also got a stolen base to put runners at second and third with nobody out.
 
Taylor Mendez brought the runs in with a one out double to left center to put the score at 2-0, but was stranded at second as the starting pitcher for the Beavers, Jessica Yost, settled in and sat the next two batters down.
 
Yost provided some offense for Bemidji State as she sent a solo shot over the left field fence in the top of the fifth inning to cut U-Mary's lead to 2-1, but Nena Dudley, who got the start in the first game for the Marauders, wouldn't allow any more runners on base in the inning as she struck out the next two batters.
 
U-Mary got the run back in the bottom of the fifth, though, as Norman led off the inning with a drop bunt to third base and beat the throw out for her second hit of the day. Per the usual, Norman stole second base and ended up at third after Dudley had a drop bunt of her own to third base, but nobody was there to field the ball or make the throw over to first.
 
Dudley tried to draw the throw on a delayed steal but Bemidji State proved disciplined enough not to commit the error; so with runners at second and third, Mendez sent a screamer straight at the left fielder who caught the line drive and allowed Norman to score from third to extend the lead back to 3-1.
 
The Marauders were unable to get another run in the inning and the Beavers weren't going away quietly, as they got another run in the top of the sixth as Alayna Krejci singled to right field and Lyndsey Peterson scored on a fielding error by the right fielder to put the score at 3-2.
 
That was all the Beavers could muster, however, as Dudley settled in to strike out two more batters in the top of the seventh and forced the final out of the first game on a ground ball to second base, securing the 3-2 win for U-Mary.
 
Dudley earned the complete game in the circle as she struck out 13 batters, gave up only two walks and one earned run, while getting a single and a stolen base as a batter.
 
Mendez ended up bringing in all three of U-Mary's runs as she finished 2-for-2 with a single, double, and sacrifice fly.
 
Norman finished 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs scored, while O'Haver also finshed 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
 
The Marauders weren't done yet as they had a second game for the day and Erin Keen earned the start in the circle for the Marauders on the back end of the doubleheader.
 
Keen responded by keeping the Beavers scoreless through the first four innings and was working on a no-hitter that was broken up in the fourth inning with a single back up the middle from Lexi Ripka.
 
On the offensive end, the Marauders wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as Mendez scored on a hit by Amber Gamboa that was more attributable to miscommunication from the Bemidji State defense more than anything.
 
Gamboa popped the ball up in the middle of the infield and would seemingly be caught by the pitcher. At the last moment, the second baseman for Bemidji State called the pitcher off and neither player got their glove on the ball, allowing Mendez to score all the way from second base in a heads up play with two outs in the inning.
 
U-Mary got three more runs in the bottom of the second as Kristin Ormsby had a one-out single to center field and stole second base; Francine Villalobos was hit by a pitch; and O'Haver singled back up the middle to load the bases up.
 
Norman stepped up to the plate and drove everybody home with a shot over the left fielder's head to add to the lead at 4-0, and by the time the dust settled she was standing on second base with a three-run, bases clearing double.
 
The Marauders wouldn't slow down from there since they got two more runs in the bottom of the third innings, the first thanks to a single from Colleen Crutchfield that scored Gamboa, and the second off a throwing error from the pitcher on a delayed steal attempts in the next at bat to score Julissa Perales from third base.
 
U-Mary got their lead to 7-0 in the bottom of the fourth when Mendez laced a double down the left field line to score Norman from second base, but couldn't cross the plate as the next two batters both flied out.
 
Bemidji State finally on the board in the top of the fifth when Jackie Braiedy led off the inning with a single to left field, Kaitlyn Shea followed that up with a single to center field, and Mikayla Osterman drew a one-out walk to load the bases.
 
Erin Robsen sent a sacrifice fly to right field to score Braiedy who had to beat the throw down to the plate, and Ripka got two more off a single to left field that was a miscommunication between the shortstop and the left fielder. The ball dropped in between the two Marauder fielders and the Beavers cut the lead down to 7-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth.
 
U-Mary wouldn't get any more runs across so it was time for Keen to step up and bring the complete game home as she was working towards her second victory of the year.
 
She got some help from her defense as Crutchfield turned a double play off a groundball back to third base with runners at first and second in the top of the sixth inning, and Keen ended the game in the seventh inning with a statement as she struck out the final batter for her seventh of the game.
 
Keen got the complete game only giving up two walks and eight hits over seven innings.
 
On the offensive end, both Norman and Mendez got their second multi-hit game of the day as Norman finished 2-for-4 with a double, three RBI, and one stolen base, while Mendez finished 2-for-4 with two doubles and one RBI.
 
Gamboa also got two hits in the game to go with a run scored; Ormsby kept her pace up going 2-for-3 and two stolen bases; and O'Haver finished 2-for-3 with one run scored and one stolen base.
 
The Marauder's week is just getting started, as they'll host Southwest Minnesota State University in a doubleheader on Friday, April 3, starting at 1:00 PM.
 
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