ST. PAUL, Minn. - Reynolds Field was electric on Thursday afternoon as the University of Northwestern hosted the University of Minnesota Morris in the second game of the 2026 UMAC Tournament. As the tournament host and No. 1 seed, Northwestern came in with momentum and home-field advantage, but postseason softball always delivers drama. The Eagles and No. 4 seed Morris battled through eight tense innings before a walk-off home run from Kate Trump (Faribault, Minn/Bethlehem Academy) lifted Northwestern to a 3-2 victory.
Ireland Strubbe (Chandler, Ariz./Valley Christian) set the tone early for the Eagles, striking out two batters in the opening inning and adding a smooth 1-3 putout. Bryn Anderson (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) recorded Northwestern's first baserunner of the game, beating out a throw to first in the bottom of the inning.
After a quick top of the second for the Eagles, Trump led off the home half with a double and advanced to third before the inning came to a close. Morris broke through first in the top of the third, plating the afternoon's opening run. Northwestern answered immediately in the bottom of the inning. Lani Schoper (Madison Lake, Minn./Mankato West) drew a leadoff walk before Hannah Storey (Big Lake, Minn./Monticello) ripped a double to bring Schoper around and tie the game. Emma Edwards (Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine) followed with an RBI single to score Storey and give the Eagles a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth.
The Eagles threatened again in the bottom of the fourth. Gabrielle Keith (Marble Rock, Iowa/Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock) doubled deep into left field, and Emma Westrate (Fall Creek, Wis./Fall Creek) entered as a pinch runner. Singles from Kate Van Ess (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg Casco) and Trista Oberle (Hudson, Wis./Homeschool) loaded the bases with one out, but Morris escaped the jam with a defensive double play to keep the deficit at one.
The Cougars evened the score in the top of the sixth, but Northwestern's defense held strong to strand runners at second and third and prevent further damage.
In the bottom of the seventh, Schoper again worked a walk and Storey followed with a single to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. Morris found the final out of the inning, however, sending the game into extras tied 2-2.
Northwestern answered with a huge defensive play in the top of the eighth. Van Ess made a difficult snag and connected with Edwards at first for a momentum-shifting double play, bringing the Eagle offense back to the plate with the home crowd on its feet.
Edwards stepped in first and drove the opening pitch deep, narrowly missing a walk-off homer. Trump followed and wasted no time, crushing the first pitch she saw over the left-center field wall for the game-winning home run and a 3-2 Northwestern victory.
At the plate, Trump and Storey each finished 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Edwards added Northwestern's third RBI of the contest. In the circle, Strubbe tossed all eight innings, allowing just two hits and two runs while striking out five.
The Eagles will return to action on Friday, May 8, when they face Bethany Lutheran at 11:00 a.m. in the second day of the UMAC Tournament. The winner will advance to Saturday's championship game.
