CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Loyola Chicago opened its spring season with a 5-4 victory over North Dakota at the UNI Dome Tournament in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Friday, Feb. 7, before falling, 0-10, to Omaha. Three freshmen made their collegiate debuts on day one of the tournament,
Averi Vander Woude and
Alli Pawlowicz in the win over North Dakota and
Addyson Jones against Omaha.
"It was nice to be back on the field playing again. We had ups and downs but were able to capitalize on some small game in game one to score runs early," said head coach
Alicia Abbott. "We saw some great pitching against Omaha and need to find little wins throughout the game tomorrow. We'll clean up our defense some and try to play our game on offense. The goal is to be 1 run better."
Game One: Loyola 5, North Dakota 4
The Ramblers jumped out to an early lead against the Fighting Hawks, scoring two runs in both the first and second innings. North Dakota chipped away with a run in the fifth and sixth before adding two in the seventh, but Loyola held on for the win.
Senior infielder
Haley Wallace went one-for-one with a RBI and three walks, while junior
Sierra Sass and Vander Woude, both outfielders, also contributed RBIs. The rookie from Frankfort, Ill. recorded her first career run and her freshman counterpart Pawlowicz had two hits.
Senior pitcher
Andie Broniewicz was stellar in the circle, allowing two runs over six innings with six strikeouts. Sophomore utility player
Maddy Hickey came in for the save despite allowing two late runs. Loyola capitalized on three North Dakota errors and four Ramblers who stole bases to secure the season-opening win.
Inside the Box Score
Game Two: Loyola 0, Omaha 10
The Ramblers struggled to find offensive momentum in their second game of the tournament against the Mavericks. Loyola managed just one hit against Omaha's Maddia Groff, who dominated with a complete-game shutout and 14 strikeouts. Omaha took control early, scoring three runs in the first inning. Outfielder Ava Rongisch put on a big performance to help power the Mavericks' offense, driving in three runs. Starting pitcher for Loyola,
Peyton Pepkowski recorded three strikeouts and allowed seven runs, five earned, over six innings. Hickey came back in for relief but surrendered three more runs in the seventh.
Inside the Box Score
- Riley Owens was the only Rambler to get a hit off against Omaha.
- The loss marks the third overall in the all-time series between the Ramblers and the Mavericks.
- Loyola hadn't been shutout with double digit opponent runs since the Ramblers fell to the Arizona Wildcats, 0-11, in March 2022.
