Death, taxes and NDSU softball winning the Summit League.
In their last doubleheader of the regular season, the Herd showed the ball park that they came ready to play.
The Bison swept Saturday’s doubleheader with North Dakota and clinched their eighth regular season title, their seventh in the last eight years.
NDSU just needed to take one game to clinch the title, but they decided playing two would be more fun. Madyson Camacho got the scoring started for the Herd in the first game, scoring on an error.
The Bison added two more in the bottom of the sixth inning for good measure to take the first game 3-0. KK Leddy, the senior from Florida, tossed a five-hit shutout to notch her 21st win of the year. The second game was a laugher.
The Bison put up seven runs in the first inning, four in the second, one in the third, two in the fourth and did not need to come to bat in the fifth. Cara Beatty and Nicole Licea had three hits each for the Bison in the second game, and Katie Shoultz added two hits and two RBIs.
Paige Vargas threw five one-hit innings to secure her fourth straight shutout.
The Summit League Tournament begins in Fargo Wednesday, May 8, and NDSU will be the team to beat.
This run of Bison dominance over almost the last decade has been a joy to watch for fans. However, a friendly reminder should be noted for all Bison fans: It won’t be like this forever, so don’t take it for granted.
There is a lot of turnover in college athletics. Players have a limited amount of eligibility. Some recruits don’t pan out. That’s what makes the fact that NDSU has sustained this success over this period of time so impressive.
Another thing to think about is the target that NDSU has on its back each year. Everyone is sick of the New England Patriots. Everyone is sick of the Golden State Warriors. The other Summit League teams are definitely sick of seeing NDSU run circles around them every spring.
Each and every time they trot out onto the field, they get the other team’s best shot. Everybody wants to be the one to take down Goliath.
Will they win the tournament this year? Who knows? Anything can happen. The fact of the matter is the Bison have put themselves in the best position possible to make sure they come out on top.