Softball On SI

Omaha Softball Records Two Perfect Games Against North Dakota

The Mavericks delivered a flawless weekend, tossing two perfect games in a dominant showing against the Fighting Hawks.
Maren Angus-Coombs|
Maddia Groff throws a perfect game against North Dakota on March 29.
Maddia Groff throws a perfect game against North Dakota on March 29. | Omaha Athletics

The only thing not perfect about Maddia Groff and the Omaha Mavericks on Sunday was the weather.

With a steady mist and temperatures in the 40s, Groff was hot in the circle. The lefty struck out 13 against North Dakota in a 2-0 win, which turned out to be the second perfect game of Groff's collegiate career.

At Connie Claussen Field in Omaha over the weekend, Groff showed the softball world just how dominant she can be. On Sunday, she delivered her first career seven-inning perfect game.

Sunday's perfect outing was just a continuation for Groff, who pitched three innings of perfect ball in the series opener on Saturday. The Mavericks won that game 20-0 in five innings.

Groff retired all 30 batters she faced across the two appearances, recording 20 strikeouts along the way. She struck out seven of the nine batters she faced on Saturday.

Omaha scattered three hits across six innings Sunday afternoon. Sydney Thomason got the Mavericks on the board in the first inning with a solo home run. Katherine Johnson doubled the lead in the sixth when she launched a pinch-hit solo homer of her own.

Sammy Schmidt singled as the only other hit in the contest.

Groff's perfect game was in jeopardy in the seventh inning. North Dakota's Katie Joten appeared to have broken it up with an infield hit, but the call was overturned via review. Umpires determined Joten was out of the box and the pitch went down as a called strike. Josten ended up flying out.

Up next for the Mavericks is a trip across town Tuesday for a matchup against the Creighton Bluejays. Then, Omaha will travel north for a three-game series at North Dakota State starting Saturday.

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

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