DULUTH, Minn. The University of Northwestern softball team (24-14) stayed hot at the plate Friday, rolling to a 10-1 win over top-seeded St. Scholastica (21-12) to advance to the UMAC title game. Championship Saturday will get underway at 12 noon with a second game to follow if needed.

The Eagles pounded out 13 hits, while Lexi Kopacek (Willmar, Minn./Willmar) and Abbie Nelson (Holdrege, Neb./Holdrege) combined to spin a five-hitter, allowing just the one run in the fifth inning. Kopacek (13-7) went the first 4.2 innings, scattering just three hits before Nelson shut the door, hurling 2.1 innings of shutout ball to pick up the save.

Faith Forcier (Watkins, Minn./Eden Vallley-Watkins) launched a three-run homer in the fourth inning to ignite the offense and give UNW a 4-0 lead. After the Saints got one back in the bottom of the fifth, UNW tacked on a run in the sixth before plating four in the seventh to put the game out of reach.

Mindy Forcier (Watkins, Minn./Eden Valley-Watkins) highlighted the seventh with her two-run triple. Mindy Forcier (Watkins, Minn./Eden Valley-Watkins) and Ellie Ronning (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria Area ) both tallied three hits apiece, while Lexi Kopacek (Willmar, Minn./Willmar) and Faith Forcier (Watkins, Minn./Eden Vallley-Watkins) finished with a pair of hits.

More information can be found at unweagles.com and by following @unwsoftball on Twitter.