Game Notes - Upper Iowa || Wayne State || U-Mary || Minot State || Northern SunTHE SCHEDULE & LIVE OPTION LINKSÂ
| Tuesday, April1 | Saturday, April 5 | Sunday, April 6 |
Game No. 22-23
vs. Wayne State Doubleheader begins at 2 p.m. | Game No. 24-25
at the University of Mary Doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. | Game No. 26-27
at Minot State Doubleheader begins at 12 p.m. |
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THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK SOFTBALL... With the conference season finally underway, the Peacocks will continue NSIC play as they entertain Wayne State (19-9, 5-1 NSIC) this Tuesday for their home-opener at 2 p.m. UIU will then end the week with a trip to Minot, North Dakota. On Saturday, the team faces U-Mary (18-12, 3-3 NSIC) at1 p.m. before taking on Minot State (16-8, 3-3 NSIC) on Sunday at 12 p.m.
LAST WEEK... It took until the second-to-last day of March for the Upper Iowa softball team to start Northern Sun Conference play, but the Peacocks managed to get the conference season underway on Sunday night. Playing inside the Husky Dome in St. Cloud, Minnesota and led by
Erica Kirgan's outstanding performance from the batter's box, the Peacocks opened the NSIC schedule with a split against Minnesota Duluth. After dropping the first game, 3-2, UIU bounced back thanks to two homers from Kirgan and four runs in the seventh to seal the 8-2 victory in the nightcap. Kirgan's three home runs on Sunday bump her season total up to six. The Peacocks' home-opener is scheduled for this Tuesday against Wayne State. The teams are currently slated to play at 1 p.m. inside the Eischeid Softball Complex.
ON DECK... Following the Peacocks' home-opener and this weekend's action in North Dakota, UIU will look forward to hosting back-to-back games at home. The Peacocks and Wolves of Northern State are set to play on Saturday April 12 at 1 p.m. A day later, UIU will entertain the Dragons of MSU Moorhead at noon. Both games will be held inside the Eischeid Softball Complex.
THE SERIES... Upper Iowa is just 3-13 against Wayne State since 2006. That includes a 6-3 loss in the consolation bracket of last season's NSIC Softball Tournament and a sweep during the regular season by scores of 5-13 and 3-7. UIU's last win against WSC came in the 2012 season, but the Peacocks haven't defeated the Wildcats at home since 2008. Meanwhile, the Peacocks hold a 6-8 record against U-Mary thanks to a split at home last season. At the same time, Minot State holds a commanding 4-1 lead in its series with Upper Iowa. The Beavers were the Peacocks' first round opponent in the NSIC Tournament last year, but Minot State pulled off the 5-1 victory to advance to the next round.
SOPHOMORE SLUGGER... Ankeny, Iowa native
Erica Kirgan had her best day as a Peacock this past Sunday. Kirgan hit three home runs and posted a 1.857 slugging percentage with five RBIs as the Peacocks opened NSIC play with a split against Minnesota Duluth. The sophomore first baseman recorded her fourth homer of the season and first against UMD with a two-run jack in the sixth inning of game one. The two runs weren't enough to get the win though as UMD sealed the 3-2 victory inside the Husky Dome in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Kirgan made sure her team won game two. With a runner on second in the top of the third inning of game two, the sophomore rocketed a pitch over the fence to give her team a 2-0 lead. In the fifth, she did it again. This time it was a solo home run over the centerfield wall as UIU took a 3-1 lead. Kirgan added a single to her stat line in the seventh as she kick-started a four-run inning for the Peacocks. UIU's young slugger propelled her team to the 8-2 victory and finished the day with a .571 batting average off four hits in seven at-bats. The Ankeny, Iowa native also scored three runs for UIU and owned a .571 on-base percentage. All six of Kirgan's home runs this season have come in the month of March. Furthermore, Kirgan now leads the team with 14 runs batted in this year.
FRESHMAN PHENOM... From the start of the 2014 season, the Peacock coaching staff new they had found a diamond in the rough with
Riley Kruel. The freshman centerfielder is currently second on the team with 22 total hits this season. She is also fourth with a .301 batting average and a .370 slugging percentage. Her defense has been outstanding as well, with 36 put-outs and just one error. That doesn't mean she's perfect though. Pitchers have been cruel to Kruel as she has struck out a team-high 18 times.
PEACOCK PITCHING... Despite having similar numbers in terms of innings pitched, Upper Iowa's starting pitchers have had varying outcomes.
Brooke Redmond leads the team with a 2.83 ERA with 17 appearances on the rubber and 71.2 innings pitched. Last season as a freshman, Redmond made 26 appearances and finished the year with a 2.65 ERA and 14 wins. So far in 2014, she's half way to her win total with a 7-6 record. Meanwhile,
Jacqueline Flood has pitched 71 innings, but has a 1-7 overall record. Despite that mark, the Mount Vernon, Illinois native has been impressive. So far she has dropped her ERA almost a point (3.77 to 3.15) and has racked up 30 strikeouts.
LIVE STATS... If you can't make it to Fayette for Tuesday's matchup, then catch the live stats or live video links above. Live stats will also be available over the weekend thanks to U-Mary and Minot State. The Beavers are also offering a live video feed for their matchup with UIU on Sunday.
