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Feb. 10, 2007

Box Score  | Photo Gallery

PANTHERS DROP SEASON OPENER TO NDSU 6-5

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa-- A solid pitching effort and a solo home run by Ashley Lepley couldn't propel the University of Northern Iowa softball team to victory in the opening game of the Ramada Inn UNI-Dome Softball Invitational. Timely hitting from North Dakota State and three Panther errors led to a 6-5 loss for UNI.

UNI jumped to an early lead in the top of the first when Brittany Ruzicka (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Jefferson) scored on an RBI single by Kelly Papesh (Minooka, Ill./Minooka) to put the Panthers ahead 1-0. The Bison pushed across a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning to knot the score at one.

NDSU plated a pair in the second to grab a two-run advantage, but the Panthers shaved the lead to one when Ashley Lepley (Albia, Iowa/Albia) crushed a solo shot over the right field fence for her first home run as a Panther.

UNI tied the game in the fourth when NDSU pitcher Bekki Rasmussen mishandled a Stephanie Shalla slap and allowed Mandy Kumamoto (Torrance, Calif./West) to score. The Panthers took the lead when Lepley drew a bases-loaded walk to score Heather Tarter (Fairbury, Ill./Prairie Central). Ruzicka followed with a single to the pitcher to score Shalla and put the score at 5-3.

An NDSU Solo shot in the fifth halved the Panther lead and two runs in the sixth gave the Bison a 6-5 advantage heading into the seventh frame. UNI went in order in the seventh inning and fell 6-5.

Sarah Bakey (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) took the loss after relieving Lepley. The freshman threw two-plus innings and allowed three earned runs on three hits while walking one. Bakey's record on the season stands at 0-1.

Ruzicka and Lepley led the offense, swatting six of the eight Panther hits and driving in three runs.

The Panthers move to 0-1 on the season. NDSU's record moves to 1-0. UNI continues its Ramada Inn UNI-Dome Softball Invitational slate with a matchup against South Dakota State at 1 p.m. NDSU takes on Drake at 3 p.m.