Royals Softball Falls on Sophomore Day

The Royals softball team celebrated Sophomore Day on Saturday but came up short against Dakota College at Bottineau, falling 7–3.

Before the game, the team honored five sophomores: Alexa Ferguson, Mya Dueck, Katie Allmaras, Annabelle Ocampo, and Sadie Vipond.

Dakota College set the tone early, scoring three runs in the second inning and holding that lead through the middle of the game. They extended their advantage with another run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to go up 6–0.

The Royals showed some fight in the sixth inning. After singles from Ella Harkness and Leta Schulz, they got on the board thanks to a defensive error, but left the bases loaded, trailing by five heading into the final inning.

In the seventh, the Jacks added one more run, but the Royals responded again. After reaching on an error and getting back-to-back singles from Vipond and Ferguson, Harkness delivered a clutch double to right field, driving in two runs. However, the comeback attempt fell short.

Harkness and Schulz led the offense, each going 2-for-4 and combining for half of the team's hits. In the circle, Ireland Schmidt pitched all seven innings and recorded 10 strikeouts.

Next up, the Royals will travel to DCTC for the regional playoffs, where they'll face Williston State in the first round on Thursday.