UNO's streak: 10 and counting

Maverick softball has a winning tradition that stretches back to its early days of existence, including a 2001 NCAA championship under present Head Coach Jeanne Scarpello. Seven years since UNO captured its only national title, its competitive attitude has not diminished a fraction.

The 2008 club has now won 10 games in a row and 32 of 38 games overall. Senior leadership has helped pave the way for the underclassmen, a group that is represented well within the pitching rotation.

The young Maverick pitching staff consists of junior Allysa Fligg, sophomore Melissa Negrete and freshman Beth Haley. The pitching collaboration has given the Mavs the belief that they have a chance to win every game they play.

"As a team, we realized that when we come out to play we can beat anyone at any time, but we also know that if we slack we can lose just as quickly," Haley said.

On Monday night, the team swept Augustana College at home by scores of 11-4 and 12-3, smashing a combined 28 hits in the double-header.

In the first game, Haley struck out four hitters, while giving up just six hits. In the victory, senior infielder Leslie Svoboda showed her leadership, belting an RBI triple in the first inning and a three-run home run in the fifth. Svoboda's 12th home run of the year helped move the Mavericks to 4-0 in the North Central Conference.

"It's really easy to pitch when we have such great hitters to back us up," Haley said. "It gives us a lot of confidence as pitchers, that if we fall behind they are going to bail us out. It's amazing to see our team from the bench . the way we are hitting is really awesome."

The sweep marked a special set of wins for Scarpello, who played at Augustana and graduated as a Viking in 1996.

The team then swept Northwest Missouri State at home on Tuesday, 2-0 and 5-2. Again, Haley put on a masterful performance, giving up just five hits in the complete game shutout to improve her record to 13-2 on the season. The only scoring was produced by a Treighton Yates-RBI and a Bearcat throwing error in the third inning.

In the night game, the Bearcats had an early 1-0 advantage against the Mavericks before a five-run fourth inning from UNO put Northwest away for good. Negrete improved her record to 10-2 on the season, giving up just two runs on eight hits in the complete game victory.

Accounting for UNO's offensive explosion were senior catcher Brianna Cataudella, senior outfielder Chanel Reaves and freshman infielder Ashley Lynch.

The five-hit fourth inning showed why the pitching staff remains confident when they fall behind.

"I really have a lot of confidence in the hitters to be there for me when things get a little tough," Negrete said. "Even when we get down some runs, we have the hitters that can get it back . even in just one inning."

UNO has outscored its opponents 74-22 during its current 10-game winning streak.

"After the losses at the UNO classic, we just decided that we needed to get things together and work a little harder," Negrete said. "We are really coming together right now."

The team will take its 32-6 record on the road with them this weekend for the Concordia-St. Paul tournament in St. Paul, Minn. The Mavs will play three games Saturday and two Sunday.