Box Score

ROSEMONT - The Loyola University Chicago softball team continued action at the Total Control Sports Invitational on Saturday and defeated North Dakota 8-3. The Ramblers were powered by Tarran Shaffer and Brooke Wyderski, who combined for five RBI in the victory, while RHP Madison Hope threw five strikeouts en route to her second win of the season.

"This was a complete team effort," said head coach Jeff Tylka. "We had contributions up and down the lineup. I was happy with our entire team for finding a way to help us earn a win. Madison was pretty good on the mound and had some solid sequences for this early in the season. It was nice to see her finish out the seventh inning and earn that first complete-game win."

After holding North Dakota scoreless in the first inning, Wyderski put the Ramblers on the board with a solo home run. Loyola began the bottom of the second with two straight outs, but Jamie O'Brien singled up the middle to keep the inning alive. Annie Korth was hit by a pitch, moving O'Brien to second base, before Hannah Jenkins hit a single to right field to bring O'Brien home and give the Ramblers a 2-0 lead. Brie Pasquale then stepped to the plate and singled to left field, bringing Korth around to score and increase Loyola's lead to 3-0.

The Ramblers put another run on the board in the bottom of the third, as Ashley Parenti tripled down the left field line before scoring on a two-out RBI single by Shaffer. Loyola then started the fourth inning with a leadoff double from Jenkins, followed by a two-out RBI single from Wyderski to take a 5-0 lead. Wyderski was able to advance to second on the throw to home plate before a single from Parenti brought her home and increased the Rambler lead to 6-0.

Both teams were held scoreless in the fifth inning as Madison Hope recorded three strikeouts, but North Dakota's Emily Bell blasted a three-run home run in the top of the sixth to cut Loyola's lead to 6-3. The Ramblers were able to put up two more runs at the bottom of the inning, as Parenti singled up the middle before Shaffer fired a home run, to go on and win the game 8-3.