The reigning Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament champions moved one game closer to defending their title Thursday when the University of Minnesota Duluth softball team defeated Winona State University 4-3 in the quarterfinal round at Bowden Field in Sioux Falls, SD.

Senior second baseman Julia Gronholz knocked in three RBIs, including a two-run shot in the bottom of the first to help jump kick the Bulldogs offense, while sophomore left fielder Morgan McMillan turned in two runs after hitting both a double and a triple in her 2-of-3 effort on the night.

The Bulldogs took the game's first lead and never surrendered it, bookending it by defense when UMD needed it most. After senior pitcher Lauren Dixon threw two strikeouts to open play in top of the first, the Bulldogs put the first two runs of the game on the board in the bottom of the frame. It started with a double down the left line from McMillan, her eighth of the season. The very next batter, Gronholz homered (her third of the season) to left field to give UMD the early 2-0 lead.

Dixon struck out all three batters she faced in the top of the second inning, but the Warriors got on the board and pulled within a single run in the top of the third when a bunt got Savannah Serdynski on base, and after she advanced to second on a bunt that Dixon threw out, she scored on a single from Sam Keller up the middle to make it 2-1.

UMD left two on base in the bottom of the third and fourth before opening the game up in the bottom of the fifth. McMillan singled through the right side to get on base for the Bulldogs, and then the next wild sequence would score her from first. Senior shortstop Kiana Bender single up the right side advanced McMillan, who was able to continue all the way home after the Warriors compiled two errant throws to give UMD a 3-1 lead. Gronholz next hit a fly ball to deep center field, which allowed Bender to score the Bulldogs fourth – and what would end up – game-winning run.

UMD's defense, which added a double play initiated by Bender in the top of the sixth, faced its greatest challenge in the top of the seventh from a desperate Warrior side. WSU rallied with two outs, stitching together two singles and double to pull within a single run at 4-3. But with the tying run on and two outs, the Bulldogs outfield held for the fly out and punched their ticket to the tourney semifinals.

Dixon pitched all seven innings for UMD to take over the Bulldog program's career innings pitched record which now stands at 646.2. The senior standout also threw eight strikeouts in her 22nd win of the season – the most of her collegiate career –  to improve to 22-5.

The Bulldogs (40-14) and on a seven game-winning streak,  will face Minot State University Friday afternoon 2:30 p.m. for a trip to the NSIC Tournament championship. 

BULLDOG NOTES: Julia Gronholz's three RBIs not only ties a season high for the second baseman but also marks the fifth time over her collegiate career that she's batted in three or more runs (her career-best effort came as a rookie against Northwest Missouri State on March, 2021 with four) … Lauren Dixon surpassed Cayli Sadler, who pitched in 646.0 innings between 2013-16 for the Bulldogs … this marks the fourth career record Dixon has set in just this season and fifth one she now owns overall (career wins, career starts, career complete games, career strikeouts) … Dixon also helped set a single season record for team strikeouts one week ago which now stands at 347 … the Bulldogs blanked Minot State just last week in James S. Malosky Stadium by scores of 2-0 and 6-0 … UMD will enter Friday with a six-game winning streak against the Beavers and a 9-1 record over their last 10 showdowns … the Bulldogs are averaging 5.11 runs against MSU over their past 10 games … head coach Lynn Anderson picked up career win 147 in the postseason triumph.