OMAHA, Neb. --- The UND softball team concluded the weekend dropping a pair of games to Nebraska-Omaha, 2-0 and 8-3, as the Mavericks celebrated its senior day at Westside Field in nonconference action.
The Fighting Sioux entered the series 3-0 against UNO this season, but falls to 18-27 overall while the Mavericks improve to 21-14 on the year.
UND wraps up its regular season slate on Thursday as the Sioux head back on the road to take on Green Bay in a 2 p.m. doubleheader.
UNO 2, UND 0
Sophomore Caralyn Chewning (Willamina, Ore.) made her first appearance and start of the season in the circle for the Sioux and went five innings allowing just three hits, four walks and two runs, but was out dueled by UNO's Dana Elsasser who pitched her seventh shutout of the season.
Elsasser improves to 12-7 on the year while allowing only five hits and no walks with three strikeouts.
"It was nice work by our pitchers but we just couldn't string together the hits we needed," said head coach Eric Oakley.
The Mavericks jumped on top in the first inning with a two-out rally. Senior Lauren Larson got things started with a single to right field, Katelyn Hinton drew a walk and both would score off a double by Amber Lutmer.
Chewning would settle into the game, including pitching her way out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning, and pitch four scoreless innings after the first frame before Lexa Twist (Winnipeg, Manitoba) entered in relief allowing just one hit in a scoreless sixth inning.
Chewning and Kenna Olsen (Issaquah, Wash.) each went 2-for-3 with a double to collect four of UND's five hits.
UNO 8, UND 3
After being shutout in the opener, North Dakota knocked three hits off Kat Barrow in the top of the first inning to jump out to 1-0 lead. Junior Brittany Baker (Buena Park, Calif.) singled down the left field line to score Erica Younan (Chico, Calif.) from second base for the game's first run.
The Mavericks evened the game in the second inning and went on to score at least one run in each following inning on their way to the 8-3 win.
"UNO is a good team," Oakley said. "They took advantage of our sloppy play. This team needs to work harder at making adjustments."
After adding an additional run to take the lead it wouldn't relinquish in the third inning, UNO tacked on two more runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings to break open a 6-1 lead.
UND got two runs back in the sixth inning on a bases-loaded single by Taylor Donnelly (Lakeville, Minn.) to cut the lead to 6-3, but again the Mavericks tacked on a pair of runs in the sixth.
Barrow earned the win improving to 7-5 while Michelle Frank (9-13) took the loss.
Younan, Amanda Johnson (Ashby, Minn.) and Courtney Gonzales (Costa Mesa, Calif.) each had multiple hits in the game for the Sioux, but UND was outhit 14-9 in the game.
