The Peacock softball team hosted the Wildcats of Wayne State College in a pair of Northern Sun Conference games early this afternoon in Fayette. The games were the final action at the Eischeid Softball Complex for the 2011 season. After Wayne State dominated game one, 11-2 (5 Inn.), the Peacocks rallied in their final at bat to tie game two and send the game to extra innings. UIU scored four in the bottom of the seventh, but fell in the eighth after the Wildcats posted three runs to 8-5.

 

Detailed recaps of both games are below.

 

The Peacocks (6-39, 2-20 NSIC) climbed on the bus less than two hours after the end of the second game to travel to Minnesota Duluth for a double header with the Bulldogs tomorrow at 2 p.m. Upper Iowa will then close their 2011 season against the Beavers of Bemidji State on Saturday at noon.

 

 

After the Wildcats posted a run in the top of the first, the Peacocks answered with two unearned runs. Erin Bennek reached with two outs despite striking out on a pitch that got away from the catcher. Hannah Jones made the Wildcats pay for the miscue with a long homer over the fence in right center field.

 

Wayne State retook the lead with two runs in the third inning and then broke the game open with six runs on five hits and a pair of walks in the fourth. The big fourth inning was highlighted by a solo shot that opened the inning and a three-run homer. The visitors tacked on two more in the fifth to push their lead to 11-2.

 

Katie Goetzinger improved to 24-6 with the win after four innings of work holding the Peacocks to just two hits while striking out seven. Sarah Dec (2-14) suffered the loss after allowing six on five hits in 4.2 innings. Ashley Brown allowed five runs on five hits in her third of an inning of relief.

 

 

Wayne State took a 1-0 lead in the first thanks to a homerun by Dani Sandel and added another run in the third running.

 

Ashley Brown reached second on an error in the third and scored on an rbi-single by Kayla Bergman.

 

The Wildcats reached base on four consecutive at bats with one out in the fifth and scored two runs highlighted by a pair of doubles. A run in the seventh for the visitors pushed the lead to 5-1 heading into UIU’s final at bat.

 

After two strikeouts in the seventh, UIU scored a run on a Missy Olson rbi-single and then loaded the bases thanks to two more singles. Erin Bennek stepped to the plate and hit a long fly ball to the warning track in right. The Wildcat right fielder camped out underneath it but squeezed the glove to early resulting in a three-base error that allowed all three runners to score and tied the game at five. The inning ended on a strikeout as the game moved into extra innings.

 

The Wildcats used a single, an infield error and a pair of walks to create the opportunity for three runs in the top of the eighth jumping out to an 8-5 lead. The Peacocks went quietly in the eighth as Brooklyn Koranda (2-21) took the loss after allowing 8 runs on 12 hits in her 8 innings of work.

 

Goetzinger (25-6) won her second game of the day throwing 7.1 innings and allowing one run on three hits while striking out eight Peacocks.

 

Brown and Bergman each had two hits at the plate for the home team.