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ROCHESTER, MN – Minot State’s Mandy Greenberg proved why she was named the NSIC Pitcher of the Year on Friday afternoon in the opening round of the NSIC Softball Tournament. Against Upper Iowa, Greenberg was nearly flawless holding the Peacocks to one run off two hits. The Beavers were strong from the batter’s box as well totaling four runs in the bottom of the first inning en route to a 5-1 victory inside the RCTC Dome.

UIU was amidst a four-game win streak before colliding with the Beavers in the opening round of the playoffs. The Peacocks also entered the game with the second-highest batting average in the conference, but Greenberg wasted no time retiring the first six batters she saw in the first two innings, all with strikeouts.

The Beavers’ offense was also firing on all cylinders from the get-go.

After starting pitcher Jacqueline Flood gave up a lead-off walk in the bottom of the first, Melissa Bell homered over the wall in centerfield to give her team an early 2-0 lead. The four-bagger was Bell’s third home run and fourth hit in five at-bats against Flood this season.

Minot State added two more runs before the first inning was in the books as Katie Backes singled and two runs scored, the second of which was due to a UIU throwing error.

Flood didn’t’ make it out of the first inning, but Brooke Redmond was strong in relief for the Peacocks. The freshman from Basehor, Kansas retired five of the first eight batters she saw and was quietly putting together a strong outing despite her team trailing by four runs.

With two outs in the top of the third inning, Katie Mnichowicz helped UIU scratch the scoreboard with a solo home run. The Peacocks’ left-handed sophomore saw a lot of pitches from Greenberg battling until she pulled the sixth pitch of the at-bat over the right field wall.

That was the Peacocks’ first hit of the game and it was Mnichowicz’s first homer of her career at UIU, but her timing could not have been better. The run gave UIU some momentum and loosened up the defense as Redmond faced only three batters in the third and fourth innings, retiring the side in each.

Unfortunately, the Peacocks’ couldn’t get anything else going offensively.

A UIU comeback began in the top of the sixth inning as Adrienna Olson, Mnichowicz and Whitney Williams loaded the bases, but all three runners were stranded after Greenberg earned back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning and stifle the Peacocks’ best opportunity to tie the game.

The Beavers added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as Carmen Vargas connected on an RBI-single to right field. The rest was left up to Greenberg. 

The Peacocks struggled against the senior right-hander for the second time this season and managed just one run and two hits - both coming from Mnichowicz. Greenberg finished the day with 17 strikeouts as Minot State sealed the 5-1 quarterfinals victory.

With the win, the Beavers improve to 37-7 overall and now own a 4-1 all-time record against the Peacocks. UIU falls to 28-15 and will now head to the consolation side of the bracket. The Peacocks will face Wayne State at 4 p.m. today in an elimination game.

UIU is 0-2 against the Wildcats this season and 3-12 against WSC over the past seven seasons. Click here to view the scoreboard for the NSIC Tournament and follow the Peacocks through the live stats link.