The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference season got off to a bumpy start for the Upper Iowa softball team Saturday afternoon as they dropped both sides of a doubleheader to the Dragons of MSU Moorhead at Eischeid Softball Complex in Fayette.  UIU lost game one, 4-1, before squandering an early lead in game two to fall to the Dragons, 7-2.

MSU Moorhead took an early 1-0 lead in game one of the twinbill before the Peacocks tied the contest in the bottom half of the first inning when senior Erin Bennek singled up the middle to score Hannah Jones from second base.

The Peacock offense went quiet for the remainder of the matchup as the Dragons posted a run in the third, sixth and seventh innings to take the game, 4-1.  Right hander Sarah Dec took the loss in the opener of the doubleheader for the Peacocks after tossing six innings of three-run ball.  The freshman allowed eight hits and all three runs were earned in her 13th pitching appearance of the season.

Jones led UIU with two hits in game one.

Upper Iowa took a one-run lead in the bottom of the first inning of game two when Bennek doubled to score Jones once again from second base but the UIU offense once again went cold as MSU Moorhead posted one run in the second, four in the fourth and one each in the fifth and seventh innings to take a commanding 7-1 lead.  Trisha Hagensick homered in the seventh inning but it wouldn’t be enough as UIU fell to the visitors, 7-2.

Maquoketa, Iowa-native Brooklyn Koranda took the loss in game two after surrendering five runs, two of them earned, over three and two-thirds innings of work.  Ashley Brown struck out three batters in relief while allowing the final two earned runs.

Hagensick recorded two of UIU’s seven game two hits.

Upper Iowa will be back in action Sunday afternoon when they host the Golden Eagles of UM, Crookston.  The first pitch at Eischeid Softball Complex is slated for 12 p.m.