Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 OMAHA, Neb. -- The Omaha baseball team made its home debut on Saturday, sweeping a doubleheader over North Dakota, 8-5 and 6-1, at Millard North High School. The Mavericks improved to 7-7 (0-0 Summit League) on the year, while UND dropped to 1-7 (0-0 WAC).

GAME 1: OMAHA 8, NORTH DAKOTA 5
Junior Alex Mortensen led the Mavericks in the opening game, going a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and three more driven in. Junior Alex Schultz was 3-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored, and junior Collin Leif finished 2-for-4 with a pair of runs. As a team, Omaha totaled 13 hits in the opener.

Junior right-hander Tyler Fox (2-1) earned the win on the mound, allowing four runs on eight hits. The Thornton, Colo., native threw 5.0 innings, striking out four and walking three. UND starter Andrew Thome (0-2) took the loss, giving up five runs (one earned) on 11 hits in 6.1 innings with four Ks and a walk. Senior left-hander Cole Volkers picked up his first save of the year, holding North Dakota to one run on one hit and a walk in 2.0 innings, fanning two.

Omaha never trailed and jumped out early, posting three runs on four hits and an error in the bottom of the first inning. Schultz led off with a single up the middle, junior Clayton Taylor reached on a fielding error and Mortensen got on with a bunt single, loading the bases. Two batters later, redshirt freshman Ryan Cate's RBI groundout crossed Schultz, and senior Justin Threlkeld followed immediately with a two-run double to right center that plated Mortensen and Taylor for a 3-0 lead.

The Mavericks extended their lead with another pair of runs on three hits and two errors in the second. Leif and Schultz came up with back-to-back singles to start the half-inning, and Leif scored when Taylor reached on a throwing error. Schultz then came in on a sacrifice fly to center by Mortensen, making it 5-0.

North Dakota got on the board in the third, as Ryan Reese's three-run homer to right quickly cut the score to 5-3. UND tallied another run in the fifth, with Tyler Follis leading off with a first-pitch solo homer to right that made it 5-4.

A three-run eighth inning then put Omaha in the driver's seat with an 8-4 lead. Leif led off, reaching on a fielding error, and Schultz singled to center. Both were driven in with a two-run double to center by Mortensen, who later scored as well on a sacrifice fly to center by senior Daniel Jewett.

North Dakota struck back in the ninth, as Zach Heaser led off with an infield single and scored on Jeff Campbell's sacrifice fly to right. UND had two runners on at that juncture of the inning, but Volkers got out of the jam with a final strikeout and UNO took the 8-5 win.

GAME 2: OMAHA 6, NORTH DAKOTA 1
The Maverick pitching staff gave a strong performance in the second game of the twinbill, as senior right-hander Zach Williamsen threw 7.0 scoreless innings in the start and allowed just three hits. He earned the win to improve to 2-2 on the season and struck out a career-high-tying eight batters while walking two. Junior Marcus Ethen held UND to one run on three hits in relief, issuing no walks and striking out three. The loss went to Zach Muckenhirn (1-2), who gave up four runs (three earned) on seven hits and a walk. Muckenhirn struck out seven for the day.

Omaha's hot hitting continued in game two as well, as the Mavericks tallied 12 hits as a team, led by Taylor's 3-for-5 effort with an RBI. Cate and Volkers also went 2-for-3 with a run scored apiece, with Cate driving in one run and Volkers adding two more RBI. Schultz and sophomore Mark Handberg also both went 2-for-4, with Handberg scoring twice with two RBI.

Volkers and Handberg both delivered home runs in the second game, with Volkers' marking the first hit of his Maverick career and Handberg's designating his first homer of the season.

It was all Omaha offensively to start the game, as North Dakota was held scoreless until the eighth. The Mavericks took a 1-0 lead in the third, with Taylor singling up the middle with two outs to score freshman Adam Caniglia. The advantage was quickly extended in the fourth, as UNO crossed two runs on two hits. Cate led off with a double to left, and Volkers immediately delivered a towering two-run roundtripper to right for a 3-0 advantage.

In the fifth, Omaha added another run on three hits. Handberg opened with a leadoff single to right, and he came in by way of a Cate singled to put UNO ahead 4-0.

North Dakota made a pitching change in the sixth, bringing in Andrew Favaro in place of Muckenhirn. The Mavericks were unfazed, as Caniglia singled up the middle and Handberg homered to left, pushing Omaha's lead to 6-0.

UND made its only noise in the eighth, as Follis, Reese and Daniel Lockhert strung together three singles to load the bases with one out. Hunter Walsh then sent a sacrifice fly to center, plating Follis for a 6-1 score. Still facing a two-on, two-out situation, Ethen picked off Reese at second with a throw to Taylor, ending the game and securing the doubleheader sweep.

Omaha returns to action on Sunday, March 8, hosting North Dakota for the weekend finale. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Millard North High School, and links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com.