VERMILLION, S.D. – North Dakota State softball picked up a 2-0 shutout victory over No. 2 seed Omaha Friday evening at Nygaard Field to advance into the winner's bracket of the Summit League Championship tournament.
 
The victory was also the 700^th of head coach Darren Mueller's career in his 21^st season at the helm of the Bison. Mueller is the winningest coach in Summit League history.
 
NDSU (30-21) started the scoring in the third inning with their first run of the season against Omaha's (29-13) Kamryn Meyer. Skylar Padgett and Molly Gates had back-to-back singles to put two runners on and two batters later, Dez Cardenas hit an RBI double to give NDSU the lead.
 
After being retired in order in the first two innings, Omaha put two baserunners on in the third but stranded them as the Bison forced a groundout to end the inning, erasing Omaha's most threatening chance in the game.
 
In the fourth, NDSU would double its lead as Carley Goetschius hit a solo home run to straightaway center field, putting the Bison up 2-0.
 
Omaha would strand another baserunner in the fourth as Paige Vargas erased a one-out double with two strikeouts to end the inning. Vargas wouldn't need any more run support for the Bison as she allowed just one more baserunner on a single in the sixth.
 
Vargas (16-9) picked up her fifth shutout of the season allowing just three hits with no walks. Vargas hit seven strikeouts for the eighth time on the season, as the Bison improved to 8-0 in those games.
 
Gates finished the game with three hits and Padgett had two hits to lead the way offensively. The duo had back-to-back hits twice in the game.
 
With the victory, NDSU advances into the winner's bracket and will take on the winner of South Dakota State and South Dakota, which will be played Saturday morning. First pitch in that game is scheduled for 9 a.m.
 
An elimination game is scheduled for 11:30 a.m., with the Bison slated to play at 2 p.m. against the SDSU/USD winner.