DURHAM, North Carolina – The Omaha softball team topped host North Carolina Central, 7-1, but lost to Virginia in eight innings, 2-1.
The Mavericks are now 3-4 on the season. UNO will play a pair of games on Saturday to wrap up their stay in Durham. At noon, the Mavs will face Delaware State. Omaha will have a rematch against Virginia at 2:15 p.m. (CT).
Virginia 2, Omaha 1 (8 innings)
Omaha was limited to only two hits in the opening game of the Eagle Challenge in Durham, North Carolina on Friday afternoon.
Virginia used three hits in the top of the fourth inning to take a 1-0 lead.
Omaha tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth. Catcher Campbell Ditto leveled the game with a lead-off homerun to center field.
The Cavaliers took the lead, 2-1, in the top of the eight with a double to left field. The Maverick defense prevented further damage with an inning ending double play.
Omaha near tied the game in the bottom of the eighth. Kylie Schwarting was placed on second to start the inning per international tiebreaker rule. A Kelly Pattison sacrifice bunt moved Schwarting to third base with one out. Tara Trede flew out to left field. After tagging up at third, Schwarting attempted to tie the game, but was thrown out to end the game.
Ditto had a home run, while Lia Mancuso had a single for the two UNO hits.
Kat Barrow (2-2) took the loss but allowed just one earned run in eight innings of work. Barrow allowed nine hits and struck-out three Virginia batters.
Omaha 7, North Carolina Central 1
Jaylee Hinrichs (1-1) allowed two hits while striking out nine North Carolina Central batters to earn her first collegiate victory on Friday afternoon. The only run to cross the plate was unearned.
The Mavs broke the scoreless deadlock in the bottom of the fourth inning with three home runs. Campbell Ditto led off the inning with a home run to left center field to give Omaha a 1-0 lead. Kelly Pattison smacked a two-run homer to plate Lizzie Noble for a 3-0 Omaha lead. Allie Mathewson followed with a solo shot to make the score 4-0.
Omaha added three more runs in the bottom of the fifth. With the bases loaded, Nicole Warren scored from third on a sacrifice fly by Noble. Later in the inning, Tonya Peterson scored on a fielder's choice by Sydney Hames to make the score 6-0. A Pattison double to right field allowed Hames to score for a 7-0 Maverick lead.
Kelly Pattison was 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI, and Allie Mathewson was 2-for-3 with a homer. Campbell Ditto was 1-for-1 at the plate with a dinger. Lia Mancuso and Tonya Peterson each had singles. Sydney Hames and Lizzie Noble each had an RBI as well.
