Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
VERMILLION, S.D. - The UNO softball team picked up a key doubleheader sweep at South Dakota on Tuesday, 1-0 and 6-3, at Nygaard Field.
The Mavericks improved to 32-5 overall and 10-1 in The Summit League with their fourth and fifth straight wins. The Coyotes fell to 25-16 overall and 8-5 in The Summit League.
The Mavs entered the day just one game ahead of South Dakota for third place in the standings but put three games in between them and the Coyotes with the sweep.
The series concludes with one game on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
UNO 1, South Dakota 0
Reigning Summit League Pitcher of the Week
Dana Elsasser threw her third straight shutout, allowing just four hits to lead the Mavericks. Elsasser (19-5) struck out six and walked none and extended her scoreless streak to 22.0 innings.
The Mavericks tallied the lone run of the game in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly by
Campbell Ditto to score
Allie Mathewson from third. Mathewson had walked and advanced to third on a throwing error by the third baseman on an attempt to throw out
Tara Trede after a grounder. Ditto's fly ball to right field was deep enough to bring Mathewson down the line for the 1-0 lead.
Elsasser retired the first 11 Coyotes in order before allowing a two-out single in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Coyotes got a pair of two-out singles in the fifth to put runners on first and third, but Elsasser fielded a grounder from Katie Cochran to end the inning. A Maverick double play ended the sixth inning, and Elsasser retired the side in the bottom of the seventh with a strikeout, pop up and groundout.
The Mavericks got six hits from six different players off Erica Denney. Mathewson, Trede, Ditto,
Molly Negrete (double),
Mara Eeman and
Sydney Hames all recorded hits.
UNO 6, South Dakota 3
Molly Negrete was 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and
Amber Lutmer was 2-for-2 with a two-run double in the sixth inning to spark the Mavs. Lutmer extended her reached base streak to 27 games in the process.
Ashton Hughes (8-0) pitched a complete game, allowing three runs on five hits, two walks with a career-high 11 strikeouts.
Negrete's RBI single to score
Allie Mathewson in the top of the first gave the Mavs a 1-0 lead. South Dakota tied the game in the bottom of the first, but UNO scored twice in the top of the fifth for a 3-1 lead. With two outs,
Campbell Ditto singled and Lutmer walked. Negrete tripled to right center to score both.
The Coyotes pulled a run back in the bottom of the fifth on a solo home run, but UNO answered with a three-run sixth inning to push the lead to 6-2.
Mara Eeman walked and moved to second on a groundout by
Lindsay Redding. Mathewson singled to score Eeman, and after
Tara Trede singled to put runners on first and second, Ditto walked to load the bases. Lutmer then knocked a base hit to right field to plate Mathewson and Trede.
The Coyotes got one run back in the bottom of the sixth, but Hughes shut the door in the seventh for her eighth win in eight starts.
Mathewson, Ditto, Lutmer and Negrete all had two hits.
