KANSAS CITY, Mo. – North Dakota State softball picked up an 11-1 victory over Kansas City Sunday to complete a series sweep of the Roos to open up Summit League play.
The Bison broke the game open with a seven-run inning in the fourth and cruised to their first Summit League sweep since April last season, when NDSU won three against Western Illinois. The Bison allowed just two runs in the series, but did not allow an earned run.
NDSU took the lead in the third inning when
Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage singled in
Emilee Buringa from second for a 1-0 lead.
Skylar Padgett would double the lead early in the fourth with a single down the line to score
Riley Leadstrom from second. In the next at bat,
Chloe Woldruff would drag a bunt down the right side to allow
Ella Claus to score from third.
The Bison would continue the big fourth inning, loading the bases with a pair of walks, allowing two more runs to score on a wild pitch and an error on a wild throw back to home plate. After Aguilar-Beaucage reached on a dropped third strike,
Bella Dean hit her second home run of the weekend with a three-run home run to extend NDSU's lead to 8-0.
After Kansas City scored an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth, Buringa hit a solo home run to center to restore an 8-run lead. The Bison would then load the bases and
Zoe King singled in the final two runs.
Paige Vargas picked up the win in relief, going 2.2 innings, allowing one unearned run with two strikeouts. The run snapped Vargas's career long scoreless inning streak at 26.1 innings.
Piper Reed started the game and went 2.1 scoreless innings. The freshman set a new career high with four strikeouts.
Buringa finished the game perfect at the plate, going 2-for-2 with two walks. She scored a team high three runs and was one of five Bison with two hits, joined by
Carley Goetschius, Aguilar-Beaucage, King and Claus. Dean led the Bison with three RBIs, matching her career high set on Saturday.
With the sweep, the Bison have won 13 of their last 15, including five straight. It's the 41
st Summit League three-game series sweep. It's also the 38
th win streak of at least five games in the Division I era.
The Bison will remain on the road next week, traveling to Macomb, Illinois- for a three-game series with Western Illinois. NDSU will face the Leathernecks in a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at noon, with a single game on Sunday set for 11 a.m.
