The Peacocks dropped their two opening games at the Apple Market Classic in St. Joseph, Mo., on Friday, falling to the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State 3-2 in game one and losing 4-0 to the Hornets from Emporia State in the second game of the day. Early runs were the bugaboo for UIU, as they gave up two runs in the first inning of both games. The two losses marked the ninth and tenth in a row for Upper Iowa, including three of those losses against Northwest Missouri State, all by one run.
 
Against the Bearcats, UIU found itself behind early after a two-run NMSU home run in the top of the first. Upper Iowa was held without a hit until the third, but they made it count when Katie Mnichowicz singled to bring home Sammy Garrett and cut the Northwest Missouri State lead to 2-1. The Bearcats responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the third.
 
Erica Kirgan pulled UIU within one again in the top of the fifth, bringing home Jacqueline Flood. In their last at-bat, UIU got back-to-back one out singles from Whitney Williams and Mnichowicz, but the next two hitters grounded out to end the game. Flood took the loss for Upper Iowa, throwing six innings, allowing just five hits and three earned runs, striking out five and walking two.
 
Again in game two, it was an early two-run deficit for Upper Iowa as the Hornets scored a pair of unearned runs following an infield error in the top of the first. The Peacocks responded by starting their half of the first with a couple hits from Williams and Mnichowicz, but came up empty.
 
Emporia State added another run in the top of the second to take a 3-0. The Hornets held UIU to just four hits across the next five innings, shutting out the Peacocks for the third time this season. Brooke Redmond threw seven innings, giving up two earned, striking out two and walking one.
 
Mnichowicz led Upper Iowa with five hits in seven at-bats, while Shelby Crist picked up three hits in five at-bats.
 
UIU returns to the field tomorrow with a doubleheader against Central Missouri and Central Oklahoma at 12 and 2 p.m.