BROOKINGS, S.D. – Top-seeded Omaha held off a late push from No. 4 North Dakota to earn a 4-2 victory in Game 3 of the Summit League Softball Championship on Thursday at Jerald T. Moriarty Softball Field in Brookings, S.D.
The Mavericks jumped on the scoreboard early with a pair of runs in the first inning. After Maggie O'Brien walked and Rylinn Groff singled to open the game, Sydney Thomason followed with a two-run double to straightaway center to give Omaha a 2-0 lead.
North Dakota responded in the top of the second when Taya Hopfauf sent a solo home run over the left field fence to trim the deficit in half. For Hophauf, it was her third home run of the season and first since March 7.
Omaha would get that run back in the third behind another key swing from Thomason, who roped her second double of the game to plate O’Brien and make it a 3-1 contest. Second baseman Katherine Johnson would extend the Mavericks' lead to 4-1 with a solo shot to center field in the fifth.
Omaha starter Maddia Groff had retired nine Fighting Hawks in a row before a two-out single by Makenna Alexander in the sixth. Callie Honig followed with an RBI-double to bring the Hawks within two, but the Maverick lefthander induced a flyout by Katelyn Neumayer to end the threat.
Groff would allow a one-out single in the seventh but that would be the only baserunner UND could muster in its final at-bat as the defending champs advanced to the winner's bracket with the 4-2 victory.
Pitcher of Record
Win – Maddia Groff (24-4): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO
Loss – Makaela Carr (9-8): 6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO
Notables
- Thomason went 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs, which marked her 15th multi-RBI game of the season
- Hopfauf's solo home run was her first of the tournament and third of the season
- Omaha’s Katherine Johnson hit her first home run of the tournament and sixth of the season
- Maddia Groff tossed her 16th complete game of the season, fanning eight Fighting Hawks to secure her 24th win of the season
Up Next
With the 4-2 win, Omaha moves into the winner’s bracket and will face the winner of Game 4 between No. 2 South Dakota State and No. 3 South Dakota on Friday at 1 p.m. CT. North Dakota will play in an elimination game against the loser of Game 4 Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. CT.
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