GRAND FORKS, N.D. –– Maddia Groff and Alexis Wiggins combined on a four-hit shutout as Omaha Softball pulled away late for an 8-0 win Thursday night.
It is the 30th win this season for Omaha, which has won at least 30 games in all five seasons under Mike Heard. Omaha (30-9) also improved to 12-1 in Summit League play and extended its lead in the conference standings to 3.5 games.
Omaha spent most of the evening clinging to a one-run lead.
Omaha grabbed a 1-0 advantage with two outs in the second inning when Sammy Schmidt doubled to left-center to score Marra Cramer, who singled with one out.
Groff, who worked the first six innings to earn the win, worked around trouble after that as North Dakota (25-20, 2-8) stranded runners in scoring position in the next three innings.
North Dakota's best threat came in the third as it had runners at second and third with no outs. But two Groff strikeouts and a groundout kept Omaha in front.
Omaha got some breathing room with a three-run sixth inning.
Bailey Sample and Katherine Johnson led off the inning with hits, and Alyson Edwards brought home Sample with a one-out single to center. Then with two outs, Ava Rongisch delivered a two-run single to center to score Johnson and pinch-runner Hailey Boltz.
Omaha put the win away by scoring four times with two outs in the seventh. Edwards hit a two-run single to right, and Schmidt followed with a two-run home run to right.
It was Schmidt's seventh homer this season. Omaha has homered in 33 of its 39 games this season and has 61 home runs as a team.
Groff struck out seven in six innings as she improved to 13-5. Wiggins struck out two in the seventh inning.
Offensively, Edwards, Schmidt, Rongisch and Emma Durr — the No. 6, 7, 8 and 9 hitters in the lineup — each had two hits.
Omaha and North Dakota will wrap up their two-game series at 3 p.m. CT Friday.
