Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
 
Records

Upper Iowa (16-26, 9-13 NSIC) || No. 17 Augustana (36-11, 19-7 NSIC)  Summary

Upper Iowa played inspired softball on Tuesday as the team hosted 17th-ranked Augustana College for an NSIC doubleheader. The team trailed the Vikings, 5-1, in the second inning of game one before battling back to tie it at 5-all in the fourth. Augie was held scoreless for four straight innings, but added the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh to steal the first of two games, 6-5. The Peacocks' determination didn't falter though. UIU stormed back in game two thanks to a strong dominant defensive performance. Southpaw Brooke Redmond was in full control as she went the distance against a very powerful Viking lineup. The sophomore struck out seven, allowed just five hits and earned the shutout from the rubber. The offense took a bit longer to come around, but UIU needed just one pitch to decide the outcome. Lauren Marlinghaus connected on a walk-off home run in the seventh to put UIU out in front for good, 1-0. The jack was her fifth homer of the season and first walk-off of her UIU career. The Peacocks will be back in action at the Eischeid Softball Complex on Thursday as they host No. 25 Winona State at 2 p.m.
  Game One Recap | UIU – 5, Augie – 6

The Vikings may have scratched the scoreboard first in game one, but Upper Iowa hung with their guests throughout the first of two games on Tuesday afternoon. An RBI-single from Jenelle Trautmann to right-center brought home the first run of the day in the top of the first before UIU could answer in the bottom of the inning. 

Katie Mnichowicz led-off with a single to right. Jacqueline Flood bumped her up to second with a single of her own. Marlinghaus then drew a walk to load the bases before a passed-ball created the first Peacock run. All the runners advanced on the error and Mnichowicz scored from third to tie the game. Augie got out of the inning without any more damage, but UIU had the momentum.

That momentum flip-flopped quickly in the top of the second inning though. A UIU fielding error gave the Vikings' Erin Kempf a runner in scoring position. She took advantage of the mistake with an RBI-single up the middle. The Vikings then added another runner on the bags before Caitlin Nichol connected on a three-run bomb to push the visitors out to a 5-1 lead. The runs were unearned, but UIU still needed to play catch-up - something they did slowly, inning by inning. 

In the bottom of the second with two outs, senior Adrienna Olson ripped a stand-up double to the wall in left field. Mnichowicz then brought her home with a single to right as UIU crept back into the game, now trailing 5-2. 

After a 1-2-3 inning from pitcher Jacqueline Flood and the UIU defense, the offense added a pair of runs to the scoreboard in the bottom of the third. Flood began the rally by drawing a walk before Erica Kirgan knocked her home with a double to right-center. Two batters later, Whitney Williams brought Kirgan home with another single - this one down the right-field line.

It wasn't until the fourth that the home team was able to tie the game. After Riley Kruel, Flood and Kirgan loaded the bases, Marlinghaus drew a 10-pitch walk, forcing the tie, 5-5. The Vikings ended the threat with a groundout, but UIU was riding a wave of momentum.

The Peacocks continued to ride that wave until the top of the seventh. After Flood and company posted four scoreless innings, the Vikings retook the lead with a go-ahead RBI-single from Trautmann. Her second run batted in of the day helped Augie pull out the 6-5 victory as UIU had no answer on offense in the bottom of the seventh inning. 

Even though Upper Iowa's comeback fell short in game one, the Peacocks found out that they could hang with the 17th-ranked team in Division II and that gave them confidence going into the nightcap. 
  Game Two Recap | UIU – 1, Augie – 0

The second game of Tuesday's twinbill came down to one pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning. Thanks to seven scoreless innings from the Peacock defense and pitcher Brooke Redmond, UIU stood just one swing away from a victory. That swing came from Lauren Marlinghaus - the Peacocks' lead-off hitter in the bottom of the seventh. 

Marlinghaus had seen a lot of pitches from game-two starter Carley Pickett - who also pitched four innings in relief in game one - and the sophomore third baseman knew what to expect. Not wasting any time, Marlinghaus drove the first pitch she saw over the fence in left-center for a walk-off home run. The jack was her fifth of the season and it propelled UIU to a 1-0 upset victory as her teammates corralled her at home plate. 

Redmond earned the victory from the rubber to improve to 12-11 on the season. She threw seven scoreless innings, while allowing just five hits, walking one and striking out 7. Furthermore, the Basehor, Kansas native stranded nine Vikings on the bags including three in the top of the seventh. The sophomore lefty got out of a bases-loaded jam to give her team a chance at the victory. 

The walk-off home run was the second walk-off for UIU this year after Kirgan earned the first against MSU Moorhead on April 13. 

The win pushes UIU out to a 16-26 overall record and a 9-13 mark in NSIC play this year. The split with Augie was the fourth of the year for the Peacocks at home. 

  Up Next

The Peacocks will look forward to another tough matchup on Thursday as the team hosts Winona State at 2 p.m. inside the Eischeid Softball Complex. Click here to read the preview for that matchup.