Francia Leads Bears at Bowlin Stadium

Sunday, March 9

Lincoln, Neb.

10 a.m. (11 a.m. CST)

University of Northern Colorado

7-13

Northern Iowa

11-7

Northern Colorado

Northern Iowa

Photo by: Jesus Ayala, UNC Athletics

3/9/2025 3:32:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

UNC falls to Northern Iowa and South Dakota State despite early sparks

By: Brooke Richards, Assistant Director of Strategic Communications

LINCOLN, Neb. – Northern Colorado softball dropped both games of its Sunday doubleheader at Bowlin Stadium, falling 6-2 to Northern Iowa before coming up short in a 5-4 battle against South Dakota State. With the losses, the Bears fall to 7-14 on the season.

GAME 1 | NORTHERN IOWA 6, NORTHERN COLORADO 2
Pitching: (W) C. Goodwin (2-0); (L) Grace Algrim (0-3)

Northern Colorado struggled to get the offense going in the opener, managing just four hits in a 6-2 loss to Northern Iowa.

Krista Francia provided a spark, going 3-for-3 with two doubles and a home run, while Ella Gonzales added a solo shot in the fourth. However, the rest of the lineup couldn't break through against UNI's pitching.

Grace Algrim took the loss, allowing five earned runs on seven hits over 3.2 innings. The Bears committed two errors, leading to a three-run fourth inning that put the game out of reach.

GAME 2 | SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 5, NORTHERN COLORADO 4
Pitching: (W) T. Baker (2-3); (L) Isabelle DiNapoli (5-4); S: M. Mangulis (2)

Northern Colorado jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning but couldn't hold off South Dakota State, falling 5-4 in the afternoon game.

The Bears collected nine hits, with Abby Gaona going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Krista Francia, Jazzy Longo, and Sabrina Javorsky each drove in a run, but SDSU responded with five runs over the final six innings to complete the comeback.

Isabelle DiNapoli went the distance, allowing five runs on eight hits. She kept UNC in the game, but a seventh-inning rally came up just short.

UP NEXT
The Bears will face the Jackrabbits for the third time tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. MST.

FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of UNC Athletics, check out the official homepage at uncbears.com. Follow the softball team on X (formerly Twitter) (@UNC_BearsSB), Instagram (@UNC_BearsSB), and Facebook (/UNCBearsSB).