FARGO, N.D. – The IUPUI softball team and North Dakota State kicked off their final series of the 2015 Summit League season and behind stellar pitching it was the Bison who emerged with the doubleheader sweep.
 
The pair of victories clinched the Summit League regular-season title for North Dakota State and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Summit League Tournament next weekend in Fargo.  The Jags have locked up the third seed.
 
The first game of the doubleheader featured two of the league's top pitchers in NDSU's Krista Menke and IUPUI's Brooke Boetjer and neither disappointed. Unfortunately, it would be Menke that eventually pick up the win tossing a no-hitter in a 1-0 win.
 
Boetjer went 3.0 innings giving up a hit, walking three and striking out four, while Nickole Finch went the rest of the way giving up two hits and the deciding run in the sixth.
 
The Jags best chance to score off Menke came in the fifth when Roni Patterson and Eryn Dillon both reached base with two outs via walks. Another walk to Maggie Good loaded the bases, but a fly out ended the threat.
 
Two innings later, NDSU was able to use a lead-off walk to manufacture a run. Alex Sobrero drew a six-pitch walk to start her at-bat, before moving up a base by swiping second. A sacrifice bunt moved her to third, and then a sacrifice fly allowed Sobrero to cross home giving Menke all the run support she would need.
 
In Game 2, the Jags struck first in the top of the first on an Eryn Dillon RBI triple, but the rest of the way would be all NDSU.
 
Beginning with four runs in the second inning, the Bison would score nine unanswered runs the rest of the way en route to the 9-1 win. Three IUPUI errors contributed to the nine runs, but offensively the Jags couldn't match the offensive output of NDSU as the Bison completed the doubleheader sweep.
 
The series finale takes place on Sunday, May 3, in Fargo, with first pitch slated for 12 p.m. ET.