Highlights

FARGO. N.D. - For the first time in school history the IUPUI Jaguars will be playing for the Summit League softball championship. The Jags needed every last one of their 14 runs to hold on to a 14-13 victory over Omaha in a game that featured 29 hits and eight home runs.

The 14 runs are the most the Jags have score on the year and the 15 hits are also a season high. The 14 runs is also the sixth highest run total in Summit League tournament history. Roni Patterson also tied a Summit League tournament record with six RBI on the day. 

"I've been in games similar to this situation but never this important," said Patterson. "The emotions were crazy up and down, but I knew we were going to come out on top."

Omaha got the scoring started in the first inning on a two-out double off of starter Kaitlynn Moody but the one run was just the tip of the iceberg.

In the bottom of the first inning the Jags mounted a two-out rally of their own. Taylor Chitwood got things started with a double to left field. Maggie Good singled to left field and Chitwood raced around to home to score the tying run.

Roni Patterson stepped to the plate and on the first pitch she saw, hit a line drive to center field deep over the wall for a two-run blast to give the Jags a 3-1 lead. 

The Mavericks came back in the next inning on an interesting play. With the bases loaded and one out, a deep drive to right was caught by a great leaping catch by Ashley Ousley. One run came across and when Ousley fell after making the catch the runner who tagged from second came around to score and tie the game at three.

The tie game didn't last long as a bases loaded sacrifice fly by Kristin London brought home a run to put the Jags back on top.

Nickole Finch came in to the game for Moody in the third and the offenses continued to dominate. Finch was greeted with a double and after a strikeout a two-run shot to dead center put the Mavericks back ahead.

The Jags would be held scoreless in the bottom of the third, the only inning they did not score, but Omaha's bats kept working. In the top of the fourth, after a close pitch that would have been strike three went against Finch, Omaha hit its third home run of the game to make it 6-4. The home run made head coach Amanda Rivera go to Brooke Boetjer to try to stop the barrage. Later in the fourth, with the bases loaded, Boetjer hit a batter to bring home another run and Omaha looked to be taking control.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Jags bats heated up in the frigid Fargo afternoon. Delilah Wright began the inning with an infield single and after an Ali Mosier pop out, Morgan Schlobohm reached on an error to put two runners on. Chitwood took advantage of the Omaha mistake and nailed a 1-1 pitch to dead center field to tie the game at seven.

The three-run home run gave Chitwood 45 RBI on the season, an IUPUI single season record that was set by Eryn Dillon (43) last year.

"It feels great to accomplish the record, especially against the pitcher who struck me out twice last time I faced her," said Chitwood. "It's awesome to also make history being the first team to go the championship game."

Good, who finished 4-5 with 2 RBI, singled up the middle in the next at-bat and was moved to second by a Patterson groundout. Moody's single through the right side brought Good home and put the Jags back on top at 8-7.

Boetjer settled down and kept the Mavericks off the board in the fourth setting the stage for the Jags to open up the lead.

Wright led off the inning with a single, Mosier walked, and Schlobohm singled to center field to load the bases with no outs. Chitwood drew a walk to push across another run to make it 9-7. After a Good strikeout, Patterson liked the first pitch she saw and hit a screaming line drive that skipped off the top of the fence for a grand slam to give the Jags a 13-7 lead. It was Patterson's second home run of the day and sixth RBI.

"[The grand slam] was an awesome feeling," said Patterson. "At first I didn't know it was going to go over, but I just trusted my ability and I knew it was going to happen."

The Jags looked in control with the six run lead and their ace in the circle but Omaha had other ideas. After a walk, Kelly Pattison hit her second home run of the day to center field and the six run lead was down to four. Later in the inning, with two outs, a single up the middle scored another run.

In the bottom of the sixth, after a walk, sac bunt and another walk, Good came through with a single to left field to bring home Mosier and give the Jags their 14th run.

The Jags wouldn't know how important that run really was until the game ended. In the top of the seventh the third pitch of the inning from Boetjer was crushed to right center field for a solo shot. After the home run, Rivera replaced Boetjer with Moody who was looking to finish what she started. 

Moody got the first out on a strikeout but then walked the next batter. Things got dicey as Omaha hit its fifth home run of the day, a two run shot to make it a 14-13 game. After a ground out to Schlobohm at short, Omaha kept things alive with a single. With the tying run on first and the go-ahead run at the plate, Moody induced a ground ball to Mosier who threw to first for the final out.

"It was nerve wracking for sure," said Moody. "I felt when I came out I had to buckle to down for my team because they worked so hard getting 14 runs and I just had to do it for them."

The win puts the Jags in the championship series against North Dakota State tomorrow (May 14). The Jags will have to beat the Bison twice in order to capture their first Summit League Championship in school history. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 pm, ET.