STATESBORO, Ga. – The North Dakota State Bison opened up the GATA Challenge on Saturday with a pair of victories, defeating the University of Tennessee - Martin 10-0 in five innings, before a 12-2 win over the University of Maine to close out the day.
 
The Bison (5-2) offense got rolling in the second inning at Eagle Field, as NDSU loaded the bases before Skylar Padgett was hit by a pitch to bring around the opening run. Emilee Buringa then stepped up and hit an RBI single to begin a perfect 3-for-3 game at the plate.
 
Following Buringa's single, Molly Gates blew the game open with a bases clearing double to right center as the Bison took a 5-0 lead.
 
In the fourth inning, Gates would hit an RBI single to right, scoring Buringa from second after her one out double Gates then came around to score two batters later on a Cameryn Maykut single to extend NDSU's lead to 7-0 over the Skyhawks (4-3).
 
Buringa would cap off the scoring for NDSU in the fifth as she hit a three-run home run, to make it 10-0. It was Buringa's second-straight game with a home run.
 
Paige Vargas had a dominant outing in the circle, as she scattered four hits and a walk over five scoreless innings for the first shutout of the season for the Bison. Vargas, who improved to 2-1 on the year, finished with six strikeouts.
 
Gates and Buringa each had four RBIs in the game, setting a new career high for each of the sophomores.
 
In game two, the Bison jumped out in front of Maine (1-3) early, as the Maykut reached on a fielder's choice that allowed Gates to score from third. The Bison would capitalize on a couple errors from Maine to plate four more runs in the top of the second. Maykut had a two-out, two-RBI single to close the second inning to put NDSU up 5-0.
 
After Maine answered back in the bottom of the second with two runs, the Bison would pad their lead with a run in the third, fourth and fifth innings before blowing the game open in the top of the seventh.
 
Buringa would start the scoring in the seventh with a two-RBI single and later come around to score on a pinch-hit RBI from freshman Faith Daehlin, the first RBI of her collegiate career. Kaylee Moore would then add a pinch-hit RBI single to score Aba Turner for the final run, as Bison went up 12-2.
 
Freshman pitcher Savy Williams allowed just the two runs for her second win of the season, as she allowed just seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts.
 
Maykut and Buringa led the team with three RBIs each in the game.
 
The Bison will be back in action Sunday morning, as they take on Maine again at 8 a.m. CT before facing host Georgia Southern (4-5) immediately following the first game.