The Upper Iowa softball team, in the midst of an important run of conference games before the conference tournament next weekend, picked up a split with Wayne State to remain tied with the Wildcats in the conference standings. The Peacocks (20-27, 15-11 NSIC) had big games from senior
Katie Mnichowicz and junior
Jacqueline Flood. The duo hit back-to-back home runs to get the Peacocks ahead early, then Flood hit a go-ahead home run in the top of the seventh to give UIU the lead. After the Wilcats tied it in the bottom of the seventh, it was again Mnichowicz and Flood, along with senior
Whitney Williams to the rescue. All three picked up an RBI in the top of the eighth, giving UIU a lead and the win. Wayne State (30-18, 15-11 NSIC) took game two with relative ease, holding UIU to four hits on their way to a 8-0 five inning win.
Game 1: Upper Iowa 11, Wayne State 8 (8 innings)The Peacocks came out swinging in game one, putting up seven runs in the first two innings.
Lauren Marlinghaus had the big hit in the three-run first, lacing a double down the left field line to score a pair of runs. Then in the second,
Katie Mnichowicz and
Jacqueline Flood hit back-to-back home runs to cap off a four run inning, putting UIU up 7-0.
Wayne State chipped away at the lead with two runs of their own in the bottom of the second and made it a four-run game with another run in the fourth. But it was the bottom of the fifth when the Wildcats made their move, scoring four runs on five hits to tie it up at 7-7.
Flood hit her second home run of the day in the top of the seventh, giving UIU an 8-7 heading to the final at-bats for WSC. But the Wildcats clawed their way back to force extra innings with a couple of hits in the bottom of the seventh.
But senior leadership came through in the top of the eighth, as
Whitney Williams and
Katie Mnichowicz came up with RBIs to get the Peacocks ahead once again. Flood added another run to put the Peacocks ahead for good, 11-8.
Game 2: Wayne State 8, Upper Iowa 0 (5 innings)Game two saw the opposite of game one as the Wildcats jumped out to a 7-0 lead after two innings. The Peacocks were held to four hits over five innings. Wayne State ended the game with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth, giving WSC the 8-0 win.
