The Peacock softball team was swept on Thursday afternoon in Winona, Minn., by the #19 Winona State Warriors, 8-2 and 13-5. In the first game, the Peacocks had a hit in five of the seven innings, but couldn't string anything together, scoring both of their runs on solo homers. Game two saw UIU get plenty of runners on base, but Upper Iowa couldn't seem to find a way to get them home. With the losses, the Peacocks fall to 17-24 overall and 12-8 in conference play, while the Warriors improved to 36-9 and 18-2 in the Northern Sun.
 
The Peacocks carry on to Moorhead, Minn., where they will take on the Dragons of Minnesota State Moorhead in a doubleheader on Saturday, April 18. Upper Iowa will follow those games with a pair against the Wolves of Northern State on Sunday, April 19.
 
Game 1: Winona State 8, Upper Iowa 2
The Warriors kicked off the scoring in the bottom of the first with four-straight two out hits, including three doubles, to score a pair of runs. Jacqueline Flood was able to get out of the jam with a pop up to second, leaving runners on the corners.
 
Again in the second, Flood worked her way out of a tough situation with runners on the corners and one out. The Peacock pitcher induced a back-to-back pop ups to end the threat and keep the Peacocks within a couple runs, trailing 2-0.
 
Erica Kirgan hit a fly ball that snuck over the wall in left center to kick-start the Peacock offense in the fourth inning. The solo home run cut the WSU lead in half, making it a 2-1 game. It was the Ankeny, Iowa native's team-leading eighth home run of the year after she led Upper Iowa in long balls in 2014 with 11.
 
Winona State responded with two runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth, including a two-run home run to center field, to push the Warrior lead to 7-1.
 
Katie Sammons got in on the home run action in the sixth inning, hitting a solo bomb to deep center and over the wall for her fifth home run of the year.
 
Winona State hit its fifth double of game one in the bottom of the sixth, scoring a runner from second to push the lead to what would be the final, 8-2.  Flood took the loss, throwing six innings, allowing eight runs on 15 hits.
 
Game 2: Winona State 13, Upper Iowa 5
After both teams went down in order in the first inning, it looked like the Peacocks would get on the board first in game two. UIU loaded the bases with two outs in the second inning, but came up empty. The Warriors, however, were able to take advantage with two outs, hitting a two-run home run in the bottom of the second.
 
Just like in game one, the Peacocks responded by immediately cutting the WSU lead in half, 2-1, when Katie Sammons singled through the left side, scoring Whitney Williams.
 
After Winona added a run in the bottom of the third, UIU had its third straight inning with three hits in the fourth, plating a pair of runs to tie the game, 3-3. Flood had the big hit, hitting a single that was just out of the reach of the Warrior second baseman, scoring Riley Kruel and Sammy Garrett.
 
The Warriors regained the lead in their half of the fourth, 6-3, by hitting back-to-back jacks to start the inning. Then, with two outs, WSU came up with a single, a stolen base and another single to score its third run of the inning.
 
Lauren Marlinghaus hit the third Peacock solo home run of the day in the fifth inning, pulling the Peacocks within two, 6-4.
 
A hit batter, single and walk loaded the bases for the Winona State in the bottom of the fifth with no outs. A couple of wild pitches allowed two runs to score and WSU led 8-4 after five.
 
Whitney Williams doubled to lead off the sixth, moved to third on a Katie Mnichowicz groundout and scored on a Flood groundout, but that would be all the Peacocks could get in the inning, still trailing 8-5.
 
The Warriors would end the game in the bottom of the sixth, scoring five runs on four hits and a couple walks. Taylor Bjork (3-3) took the loss, throwing 5.1 innings, allowing 13 runs on 13 hits.