Valerie Hohol's third shutout of the season and Natalie Wright's three hits and three RBIs gave Minnesota Duluth a 4-0 win over Sioux Falls in the Bulldogs' NSIC tournament opener Thursday in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Seeking its first postseason conference championship since 2002, third-seeded UMD (39-11) meets No. 8 Concordia-St. Paul at noon today.
Hohol, a junior, held the Cougars to four hits and didn't walk a batter in her efficient, 74-pitch outing. Wright provided more than enough offensive support. The senior second baseman made it 2-0 in the second inning with an RBI single, 3-0 in the fourth with an RBI double and 4-0 in the sixth with a solo homer to right field.
If the Bulldogs defeat Concordia, which upset No. 2 Augustana 5-3 in nine innings, they will play again at 4 p.m. today. A loss drops them into the loser's bracket.
