Idaho State head softball coach Julie Wright said earlier this season that her lineup was the perfect mix of power and speed.

    North Dakota found out just how correct she was Friday afternoon at Miller Ranch Stadium.

    The Bengals hit .582 on the day and pounded out 32 hits — including nine home runs — and drove in 29 runs in 10-2 and 19-0 victories over North Dakota.

    “We are ridiculously good at times,” Wright said. “The ability for our kids to stay focused and continue to hit even though we were up nine in that second game is really impressive. I am really impressed with how my team is taking care of business. They know what they need to do and things are in their control. They know what they want and are getting after it.”

    The Bengals’ offense set the tone for the day in the very first at-bats.

    Amanda Fitzsimmons led off the game with a solo home run to center field to start the scoring. Two batters later Vicky Galasso hit her own home run, this to right center to give ISU a 2-0 lead.

    This was just the beginning of a very productive day for the duo.

    In game two, both players hit two more home runs with each player hitting one in the first inning. Galasso’s second of the game came in the second frame. Fitzsimmons’ final long ball of the day coming in a 10-run third inning.

    Galasso finished the day 6-for-7 at the plate with three home runs and five RBI and is now hitting .503 on the season.

    Fitzsimmons was 3-for-6 with three home runs and four RBI.

    A big reason why Fitzsimmons and Galasso have had so much success this season is the return of designated hitter Terah Blackwell.

    The redshirt junior missed all of last season due to injury, but has been a key piece for the Bengals this year.

    “Our lineup is tremendously better when Terah Blackwell is in it,” Wright said. “She is being a little bit overlooked, but that young lady makes this offense worlds better.”

    Blackwell was 5-for-6 on the day with two home runs, both in game two. She also had five RBI.

    “This is so much fun,” Blackwell said. “When everyone is hitting well and we are batting around, it is such a good time. I missed playing so much last season. I am happy that I am back and that we are having so much success.”

    Fitzsimmons was in the circle for game one and kept the North Dakota hitters off balance all day.

    If it weren’t for errors in the fourth and fifth innings, North Dakota would have been held scoreless.

    Instead UND (10-26, 2-6 Big Sky) scratched across runs in each frame.

    But on this day the Bengals’ offense could not be stopped.

    ISU picked up three runs in the fourth on an RBI single by Katee Wiley and a two-RBI double from Becky Molyneaux.

    In the fifth, the Bengals closed out the game by scoring five runs — three on a home run from Hailey Breakwell — and earned the 10-2 win.

    “Sometimes your team does things and you are just so proud that all you can do is enjoy it with them,” Wright said. “So that’s what I did was enjoy it.”

    Fitzsimmons earned the win with her complete game, nine-strikeout effort.

    The offensive show continued for the Bengals in game two.

    ISU hit three first-inning home runs, with Galasso’s two-run shot being the big blow.

    The team tacked on five more runs in the second thanks to another Galasso two-run home run and a two-RBI double from Courtney Dial.

    But it was the third inning that blew the game wide open.

    ISU sent 14 hitters to the plate, scoring 10 runs on nine hits to take a commanding 19-0 lead.

    Starting pitcher Kelsi Ott did the rest.

    Ott pitched a complete game two-hitter to earn her eighth victory of the season.

    “When your team is putting up runs like that all you can do is go to the bullpen and stay loose,” Wright said of how Ott spent her time while the Bengals were batting. “She knew what she needed to do, what pitches she could be really nasty with and what she needed to throw for a strike, so it was no problem for her to handle.

    “Our pitching staff was excellent. I was really impressed with them and right when we need it most they have been going out and doing their jobs.”

    The six home runs in game two are a new school record, breaking the old record of five set last week.

    ISU (25-19, 11-3) is now alone at the top of the Big Sky Conference standings after Portland State split a doubleheader with Sacramento State Friday in Portland.

    ISU and North Dakota close out their three-game series today at 1 p.m. at Miller Ranch Stadium.