The Wildcats welcomed the Fighting Hawks of North Dakota for a conference doubleheader on April 11. Weber State University took both games in the first-day doubleheader.

The series was moved to Ogden after a snowstorm in North Dakota forced the teams to readjust. Because of this, the Fighting Hawks were the home team in Ogden.

In the first game of this doubleheader, the crowd was treated to a spectacular performance by senior starting pitcher Kirtlyn Bohling.

Bohling pitched a complete game shutout, with 11 strikeouts and two walks, all while allowing only six hits. Not only was Bohling dominant, but she stood strong in the face of adversity. With one out and two runners on base in the second inning, Bohling was able to get North Dakota’s sophomore catcher Alicia Young to hit into a double play.

As for the Wildcat offense, sophomores Ashlyn Visser and Landi Hawker combined for three RBI’s while freshman Ali Belloc scored a pair of runs. In addition, Weber State’s most consistent hitter, sophomore outfielder Takesha Saltern extended her hit streak to 13 games.

“It was great to see our hitters stay confident and easy and keep putting runs up,” Bohling said.

Weber State took command of the game early and held strong throughout, taking the 4–0 victory into the second leg of the doubleheader.

The second game was different than the first, despite the games being just 30 minutes apart. In the first inning, Weber State junior pitcher Tatiana Su’esu’e was able to stay calm and get out of a bases-loaded jam that could have been disastrous.

Su’esu’e’s composure seemed to spark the Wildcats on offense. By the end of the second inning, the Wildcats were leading 4–0 after RBIs from senior Molly Horne, sophomore Courtney Pestka, sophomore Sydney White and Hawker.

Freshman Chloe Camarero added one more run with an RBI single in the next inning, forcing the Fighting Hawks to go to their bullpen.

In the fourth inning, the Fighting Hawks rallied and put up six runs, thanks in part to a three-run triple by senior Taylor Nadler. Junior Marina
Marzolino added one more run to put the Fighting Hawks up 6–5 to end the inning.

Weber State wasn’t phased as they were able to put one run on the board after Belloc’s stolen base put her in scoring position. Hawker then drove in a pair of runs on a single to put the Wildcats up 8–6 in the top of the sixth, followed by another RBI single by Camarero.

“It says a lot about our toughness and resilience to be able to score in five different innings, especially after getting behind one run,” said Bohling, who came in in the sixth inning to pick up the save.

With this 9–6 victory, Weber State improved their overall record to 19–17, leaving them tied in second place in the Big Sky with North Dakota. The Wildcats’ next game will be April 16 in their well-anticipated matchup against the University of Utah, in Salt Lake City.