KANSAS CITY, Mo. – North Dakota State softball opened up Summit League play with a doubleheader sweep of Kansas City Saturday afternoon at the Kansas City MLB Urban Youth Academy, winning 10-0 in five innings before a 4-1 victory in game two.
 
The Bison started the afternoon strong, scoring in every inning in the first game, while Paige Vargas tossed her second one hitter in her last three starts, as she picked up her third-straight shutout win.
 
Bella Dean gave the Bison an early lead with a two-out RBI double in the first. Chloe Woldruff added another two-out RBI with a single in the second to double NDSU's lead, 2-0. Dean extend the lead further in the third, as she hit a two-run home run to left.
 
Carley Goetschius then hit a three-run home run to center in the fourth, putting the Bison up 7-0. Woldruff added her second RBI single of the game in the fifth. Later in the inning, Goetschius added two more RBIs as she doubled to left center for the final runs of the game.
 
Vargas was dominant in the circle, holding a perfect game into the fifth, when the Roos picked up a one-out single and then a walk. Vargas, who picked up her ninth win of the year, finished with three strikeouts and allowed just one ball to leave the infield with the fifth inning single. She forced six ground outs and six infield pop outs. Vargas also reached a new career milestone in the game, reaching 25.0 consecutive scoreless innings. Her previous best was 24.0 in 2019.
 
Dean's three RBIs set a new career high and it is also the third-straight game that Dean has batted in the winning run. The five RBIs for Goetschius is a best for her as a Bison and matches her career best set while with Northern Illinois in 2021 in a game against Kent State.
 
Goetschius would lead the Bison in game two, as she picked up her sixth multi-RBI game of the season, driving in three of the four runs, while Lainey Lyle tossed a complete game victory for her seventh victory of the season.
 
Goetschius would start the scoring in game two, as she hit a two-RBI single in the third. She would score later in the inning, as Dean hit a sac fly to give the Bison a 3-0 lead. In the fifth, Goetschius would add another run with her second home run of the day with a solo shot to left.
 
Lyle scattered six hits and allowed just one unearned run on the afternoon. She finished with two strikeouts and did not have a walk.
 
The Bison will look to complete the series sweep on Sunday as NDSU takes on Kansas City in game three. First pitch is set for 11 a.m.