GRAND FORKS — Dave Albrecht stood at the top of UND's new softball stadium Saturday night. He looked down and saw the 800 seats and standing spots on the party porch full with fans in green. He looked down the left- and right-field lines and saw fans leaning against the fences.
He noticed others standing along University Avenue, looking through the right-field fence to watch UND play Northwest Missouri State in the facility's first game. "It's larger than life," said Albrecht, who along with his wife, Alexa, were the lead donors to build the complex. "It's awesome to see the vision we had come to life in such grandiose fashion, where you see all these people out watching girls softball in North Dakota.
And that's what it's about — growing the sport and doing something for the girls." Albrecht Field opened Saturday on a beautiful fall evening without a cloud in the sky. It had plenty of pregame festivities — ceremonial first pitches that included UND President Andy Armacost, a national anthem sung by Jim Cornelison of the Chicago Blackhawks and a flyover by a UND Piper Seminole and helicopter.
The game delivered, too. UND trailed 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, but fifth-year senior Katie Joten drilled a one-out, two-run double to the left-field wall for a walkoff game-winner. UND beat Northwest Missouri State 3-2.
Fighting Hawks players stormed the field to celebrate. Then, they gathered near home plate and yelled "thank you" in unison to the fans. "It's unbeli.