PLYMOUTH, Minn. - North Central University hosted the NCU Dome Tournament on Thursday morning at the Plymouth Dome in Plymouth, Minnesota. In day one the Rams saw The University of Minnesota-Morris, Maranatha Baptist University, and Finlandia University in the first set of games since the Rams spring break trip to Florida. The Rams fell to Minnesota-Morris and Finlandia University but came away with a win over Maranatha Baptist with a full game pitched from Ali Cornelius (Milaca, Minn./Spectrum) who secured her first collegiate win in the game.

In game one against Minnesota-Morris the Rams were able to get hits and on base but struggled to bring them home. North Central had 11 players left on base through the seven innings compared to Morris' three. Emily Loop (Phelan, Calif./Serrano) had three hits in her four at bats and scored one run. The Rams kept the game close through the 5th inning only trailing by one, 6-5, but four scoreless innings saw the Rams fall to their Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) opponent.

In the second game of the day, North Central got off to a slow start in the first inning but scored 12 runs between the second and third innings. The Rams added two more in the top of the 5th inning to extend the lead and score more runs than any other game in both the 2017 and 2018 season (thus far). Cornelius had eight strikeouts in her win over the Sabercats.

In the final game of the day, the Rams took on the Lions from Finlandia University. After two innings the Lions led 2-1 and extended the lead to 4-1 after the third inning. However, the Rams weren't without hits having seven hits and seven runners left on base. North Central was within position to score more runs at various points throughout the game but the Lions aggressive defense kept the Rams from advancing. Cornelius scored the Rams only run of the game after she got on base from a hard double into center field and a double from Amanda Roth (Appleton, Wis./Neenah) sent Cornelius acrosse home plate for the score.

The Rams will be back in action tomorrow for day two of the NCU Dome Tournament. The Rams will play Maranatha Baptist University at 8 a.m., Finlandia University at 10:30 a.m., and The University of Minnesota-Morris at 12:30 p.m. Live stats for all the games can be found here.