DULUTH, Minn. -- Freshman Alli Hukill drove in a pair of runs and pounded out three doubles on the day to help lead the No. 2-seeded University of Nebraska-Omaha softball team into the semifinals of the North Central Conference Tournament Saturday. The Mavericks outlasted North Dakota, 5-4, in the opener, and then snuck by South Dakota, 4-3, in game two.

The Mavs, now 40-11 on the year, will face Minnesota Duluth in Sunday's 12 p.m. semifinal.

UNO used a three-run third inning to build a commanding 4-0 lead over UND in game one. Chelsea Koch drove in two with her third-inning triple, while Hukill's double later in the frame scored Koch and gave the Mavs a seemingly insurmountable advantage.

But the Fighting Sioux came storming back, tying things up at 4-all and sending the game into extra innings.

UNO capitalized on a UND error in the home half of the tenth when Hukill scored from second on a misplayed grounder up the middle to give the Mavs a 5-4 victory.

Freshman Beth Haley went the distance for the Mavs, scattering 12 hits over 10 innings of work to improve to 17-6 on the season.

In game two, the Mavericks again jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs on three hits in the second inning. Two UNO runners scored on USD wild pitches, while Hukill's double to right field plated the other Maverick run.

The Coyotes clawed their way back into the game late, plating one run in the fourth and a pair in the sixth to force extra innings.

Brianna Cataudella's RBI single to left field in the eight innings scored Leslie Svoboda from second base and gave UNO the 4-3 win.

Haley came on in relief of starter Melissa Negrete in the sixth inning to pick up the victory, her second of the day, giving up just one hit and striking out three in 2.2 innings of work.


UND....000 022 000 0 -- 4 12 2
UNO....103 000 000 1 -- 5 12 1
WP - Haley (17-6)
LP - Peters (7-4)
2b - UNO, Hukill 2, Cataudella
3b - UNO, Koch

 
USD....000 102 00 -- 3 4 1
UNO....030 000 01 -- 4 10 4
WP - Haley (18-6)
LP - Heim (6-5)
2b - UNO, Hukill