ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris softball team defeated North Central University 18-8 in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play Tuesday night in St. Paul, Minn. The Cougars' 20 hits mark their highest single-game total since the 2023 season.
 
The Cougars improve to 3-4 in conference play and 5-14 overall, while the Rams fall to 1-11 overall and 0-3 in the UMAC.
 
Olivia Losee recorded the first hit of the game with a double to left field in the opening inning. The Cougars struck first when Alyssa Thornton followed with a double down the left field line. Kendra Schmitz then drove in Thornton with another double. The offense continued to roll as Jillian Anderson put runners on the corners before stealing second base. Ro Diver capped the inning with an RBI single to center field, giving Minnesota Morris an early 4-0 lead.
 
The lead was short-lived, however, as the Rams answered with four runs in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game at 4-4. North Central threatened again in the second inning, loading the bases with two outs, but Morgan Wilhelm recorded a strikeout to escape the jam unscathed.
 
Thornton led off the third inning with a single, and Mary Landherr followed with a base hit to left. Diver then hit a ball to the outfield that the center fielder misplayed, allowing two runs to score. Wilhelm followed with an RBI single to bring in Diver. Minnesota Morris added two more runs when GingerAnn Lucas doubled to center field, scoring Wilhelm and Taylor Johnson to give the Cougars a 9-4 lead. North Central responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning to cut into the deficit.
 
In the fifth inning, the Cougars loaded the bases with no outs following an error and two singles. The Rams turned a double play on the next batter, but Lucas drove in a run after beating the tag at first base. Losee then tripled to extend the lead to 12-7, and later scored on a wild pitch.
 
Audrey Olson delivered a big moment in the sixth inning, coming off the bench to hit her first collegiate home run. Schmitz singled to reach base for the third time in the game, and Kennedy Biegler reached on an error to keep the rally going. The next three batters each drove in a run, with Diver hitting a sacrifice fly, Isabelle Derhak adding an RBI double, and Johnson recording an RBI triple. Losee capped the scoring with an RBI double, pushing the Cougars' lead to 18-8. Marissa Anderson then pitched a one-two-three inning to close out the victory.
 
The Cougars' offense was dominant, tallying 20 hits and posting a .526 team batting average. Eleven different players recorded a hit, with Losee and Thornton each collecting three. Nine of the hits went for extra bases, including two doubles and a triple from Losee. Olson highlighted the performance with her first career home run. Lucas, Losee, and Diver each drove in three runs, while five Cougars scored multiple runs.
 
In the circle, Wilhelm earned the win after pitching four innings, striking out three while allowing seven earned runs. Anderson pitched the final two innings, adding a pair of strikeouts.
 
The Cougars and Rams will continue the series Wednesday morning with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.