Softball Team Wins Twice on Saturday, Draws Top Seed in Tournament

April 28, 2007

Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

KENNESAW, Georgia - After parlaying a trio of dominating pitching performances into two wins on Saturday, the University of Northern Colorado softball team is two games away from winning the 2007 Division I Independent Softball Tournament.

The Bears (10-38) knocked off North Dakota State 4-3 in Saturday's opener, and followed that with a 2-0 shutout of South Dakota State. As the top seed in the semifinals, they'll now face Cal State Bakersfield Sunday morning, while NDSU and Kennesaw State will meet up in the day's other semifinal.

Against the Bison (33-22), Northern Colorado starter Shea Carpenter (4-14) scattered seven hits in a complete-game effort, allowing only two earned runs.

Northern Colorado scored all its runs in the second inning, including two runs on an Ashley Geist homer to right center that also scored Cassandra Avila.

Earlier in the inning, Avila singled home Hillarie Van Otterloo for the game's first run.

The Bears scored their fourth run of the inning after putting together three straight two-out singles. After Kelsey Dumler and Jessica Schoepflin reached base, Laura Christianson singled through the right side of the infield to score Dumler.

After giving up a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning, Carpenter dominated the rest of the game, locking up the win.

Dumler started the second game for the Bears, and pitched four innings of three-hit, shutout ball before giving way to Van Otterloo.

Van Otterloo (5-11) picked up the win, closing out the game with three innings of no-hit ball.

The Bears plated what would be the winning run in the top of the fifth when Casey Hogue drew a one-out walk. Hogue advanced to third on a Dumler single and scored on a Schoepflin single back to the pitcher.

Northern Colorado added an insurance run in the seventh when Avila singled home Mackenzie Barrett.

Sunday's game against Cal State Bakersfield is slated for a 7 a.m. MT start.