UMD Softball NSIC Tournament Champs for First Time in Two Decades
Zavoral led the way at the plate going 4-4, with a double, RBI and 2 runs scored. Junior pitcher Lauren Dixon, held it down in the circle giving up no runs on 4 hits, fanning 5 batters.
ROCHESTER, Minn.- The UMD softball team has been a dominant force throughout the NSIC Tournament. On Saturday afternoon, the Bulldogs capped it off with a 9-0 victory over Augustana to be crowned Conference Champions for the first time since 2002.
The Bulldogs broke open the scoring in the top of the first when Sidney Zavoral rocked an RBI double, followed by a two-run homerun by Kat Burkhardt. Then in the second, another two-run bomb by Nicole Schmitt put the dogs out front 5-0 early in the ballgame.
Kiana Bender extended the lead in the fourth with an RBI double. Burkhardt had her second set of RBIs in the top of the seventh with a single that scored two. Finalized by a single from Julia Gronholz to make it 9-0.
Zavoral led the way at the plate going 4-4, with a double, RBI and 2 runs scored. Junior pitcher Lauren Dixon, held it down in the circle giving up no runs on 4 hits, fanning 5 batters.
“Doesn’t matter who’s on the other side of the field, we’re just ready to take this and take control of the game and just go out there and win it for each other. It is a bit sweeter when you win the conference championship because, yeah, we have a vision to make that post season NCAA tournament that’s on our vision board and just that want and that fire and that hunger to get it and to be so close in the regular season. You know, to know that we were able to still recover from that and put things together in this post season conference tournament run,” says Bulldogs head coach Lynn Anderson.
“I feel like coming into the Auggie games, we were out for blood and we’re doing this. There’s no doubt about it. We’re winning and we’re not going to give them any hope and that’s what we did. I mean, I’m speechless honestly. It’s so exciting. I always wanted this and here we are senior year I couldn’t have asked for anything better with a better team,” says Zavoral.
The Ace, Lauren Dixon, threw every pitch of the tournament, giving up just one run on 13 hits with 30 strikeouts in 28 innings of work. Dixon posted a .32 ERA throughout the tournament.
“I wanted that the whole way, you know especially with our rematch with Auggie, I was like ‘You know what, we’re here we want to show them what we’re all about’ and that kind of stuff, so just that drive to really just represent ourselves here and do it for everyone on the team here as well. So, was super happy to be placed in the position to have it all weekend and glad that it came through. It was really a lot of work to keep myself kind of, without those jitters was really important during that last at bat. But still super cool, but everyone at that point knew what the next pitch was about so, that was just a really cool moment to be a part of,” says Dixon.
Next up, the Bulldogs will await their opponent for the NCAA Regional Tournament. The selection show is scheduled for Monday, May 8.
