BISMARCK, N.D. - Opting for a slugfest instead of a traditional pitcher's duel, the University of Mary Softball team drew the hard-fought split today against Winona State University thanks to a furious late-inning rally on the backend of the doubleheader.
 
The Marauders (9-25, 3-12 NSIC) were hot on the heels of the Warriors (27-11, 9-6 NSIC) in the first game before Winona State rattled off eight runs in the final two innings for an 14-5 win in game one, but U-Mary fired off back-to-back jacks in the seventh inning of game two in the midst of a four-run rally and eventually won out in the nine-inning marathon at 6-5.
 
GAME ONE
 
The first few innings of were relatively quiet compared to the rest of the day as Winona State got their first run of the game on Natalie Kalmes' single to left center that scored Reed Karsten for the early lead in the top of the first, while U-Mary was kept hitless by Hanna Lythberg through the third inning for a 1-0 scored heading into the fourth.
 
Alas, the fourth inning is where the tide started to turn as the Warriors got help from a Marauder miscue with two outs with Paige Keegan reaching on a throwing error with runners at second and third, allowing both to cross the plate on the throw, and followed up with a two-run shot from Kalmes and a solo home run from McKenna Larsen for a 6-0 Winona State lead going into the bottom half of the inning.
 
U-Mary got some of the runs back during their at bat as Taylor Mendez drove a 2-0 pitch over the left center field fence with Amber Gamboa at first to chip away at the lead with two runs and a 6-2 score going into the fifth.
 
The Warriors went down in order in the top half of the inning as Taylor Lara came in for relief and the Marauders went right back to work in the bottom of the fifth starting with Colleen Crutchfield's leadoff single and followed by Kylie Alto's hard-hit single to the shortstop for runners at first and second with nobody out.
 
U-Mary got some help on a Warrior miscue as Lex Hubbard reached on the fielder's choice error with the shortstop dropping a would-be out of Alto at second base and two more fielder's choice ground ball set the stage for Demaree Rodriguez with two outs and bases loaded.
 
As if getting rejected on one home run earlier in the week wasn't enough, coming from her line drive to left field that ricocheted back into the field of play against Minnesota State University Moorhead, Rodriguez's deep fly ball to straightaway center field caromed off the top of the fence once again, preventing the grand slam and instead leaving the Marauders with three runs and a 6-5 deficit heading into the sixth inning.
 
Winona State got some of the runs back in the sixth as Chelsey Rodenkirch tripled to right field two record two more runs and eventually scored on an errant throw during the same play for the third run to pad the Warriors' lead, while Lythberg returned to form in the bottom half of the inning with three groundballs to set the score at 9-5 heading into the final at bat.
 
The final five runs of the game came in the form of back-to-back doubles from Keegan and Kalmes for the first three, followed by an RBI single from Larsen for one, and capped off with an RBI groundout from Lani Van Zyl for the last, while Lythberg recorded the complete game in the bottom of the seventh on a strikeout and two groundouts to hand U-Mary the game one loss at 14-5.
 
The Marauders were limited to five hits in the opening contest as Demaree Rodriguez and Taylor Mendez recorded the only extra-base hits with a double and home run, respectively, while Rodriguez added three RBI to complement Mendez's two RBI and one run.
 
MeLanie Rodriguez recorded the loss as she went four innings and gave up six runs, though only one was earned, to go with four strikeouts.
 
GAME TWO
 
The second game sang a different tune as the Warriors inched ahead on the scoreboard through the first three innings with runs coming from a passed ball in the first, wild pitch in the second, and an RBI groundout in the third for the quiet 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third.
 
Alana Norman put the Marauders on the board in their half of the inning as she sent a slow roller to the first baseman and beat the fielder back to the bag with a diving slide while Alto crossed the plate for a 3-1 score going into the fourth.
 
U-Mary threatened to add a few more as Lara loaded up the bases with her pinch-hit single through the left side with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, but starting pitcher McKenna Larsen settled back into her rhythm and forced a groundout for the final out of the inning to keep the Marauders at bay with a 3-1 score.
 
The Warriors added two more in the top of the fifth with a solo shot from Karsten to center field, followed by Keegan's sacrifice fly to left field to score Jamee Schleis, for a 5-1 Winona State lead going into the fifth.
 
Alex Walker came in to relieve Larsen in the circle as the situation seemed dire late in the game for U-Mary despite consecutive singles from Mendez and Gamboa in the fifth, coupled with a leadoff single from Crutchfield in the sixth, but the beacon of hope was lit in the seventh inning as the Marauders refused to go away quietly.
 
Norman led off the top of the seventh with a single down the left field line and showcased her blazing speed as she scored all the way from first base on Mendez's double to center field to narrow the deficit at 5-2 with one out. Gamboa and Zink came together for the one-two punch as Gamboa sent a two-run blast on the 1-2 pitch over the center field fence, while Zink laced her solo shot to center field as well to tie the game at 5-5 with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Winona State finally opted for their ace to stop the rally as Lythberg made her second appearance on the day in relief of Walker and quieted the Marauder bats as she forced a fly out from Crutchfield and a groundout from Alto to end the rally and force extra innings.
 
With the momentum squarely in their favor, U-Mary kept starting pitcher Brieann Backes in the circle and she responded well with a strikeout of Larsen to leadoff the top of the eighth, issued a walk to Rodenkirch but bounced right back with a  fielder's choice ground from Van Zyl and ended the at bat with a hard lineout from Allyson O'Herron to keep the score tied at 5-5. Lythberg responded in kind, however, as she recorded three groundouts on six pitches, all lightly tapped back to the circle, to set the stage for the ninth inning as the game time surpassed the two-hour mark.
 
Backes kept up her side of the late-game pitcher's duel with a groundout from Shannon Nelson, a fly ball out from Karsten, and another groundout from Schleis to keep the pressure on the Warriors going into the bottom of the ninth.
 
Lythberg appeared to fight right back as she forced yet another fly ball out from Demaree Rodriguez to lead off the at bat, but the Warrior defense finally cracked as Mendez sent a groundball to second base and the throw was mishandled by the first basemen that allowed Mendez to reach safely, giving the Marauders a runner on first with only one out.
 
Gamboa followed up with a single through the left side for her fifth hit of the day to put runners at first and second, while Lythberg struck out Zink in the next at bat to bring up Crutchfield with two outs and the winning run standing on second.
 
Crutchfield proved to be the final difference in the game as she drove a 2-1 pitch from Lythberg to deep left center and her RBI double closed the books on the second game of the day as Mendez easily scored to halt the game at 6-5 in the marathon of a game.
 
Five Marauders recorded multiple hits in the game, led by Gamboa's perfect 5-for-5 mark with four singles and one home run, two RBI, and one run.
 
Norman recorded two hits for U-Mary, both singles, in addition to her one RBI and one run; Mendez added a single and a double to go with her one RBI and two runs; Zink added a single and home run along with her one RBi and one run; and Crutchfield rounded out the multi-hit Marauders with a single and double coupled with her game-winning RBI in the bottom of the ninth.
 
Backes went the distance in the game as she pitched all nine innings for U-Mary to improve her record to 3-7 on the year, scattered nine hits over the course of the game to go with six strikeouts and issued only two walks.
 
The Marauders have a busy week ahead of them as they will spend next week on the road, starting with their quick turnaround down to Aberdeen, S.D., for a doubleheader against Northern State University on Tuesday, April 12. The Marauders will also play their makeup games on the road north against Minot State University starting at 2 PM on Thursday, April 14.
 
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