NSIC/US Bank Tournament Bracket

Sunday was a special day for Upper Iowa softball. It was a chance to celebrate three seniors who have made an incredible impact on and off the field. It was a chance to set the school-record for conference wins in a season. It was an opportunity to secure a first-round bye in the conference tournament after being selected tenth in the preseason poll.
 
The Peacocks (23-28, 18-12 NSIC) were able to do all three of those things, sweeping Southwest Minnesota State (25-27, 14-16 NSIC) with a pair of run-rule wins, 8-0 in six innings and 13-3 in five innings. UIU got a little something from all nine starters as every Peacock had at least one hit and scored a run, as well as eight Peacocks picking up an RBI.
 
The sweep gave Upper Iowa 18 conference wins, which is the most the school has won since joining the Northern Sun Conference prior to the 2007 season. The 2013 UIU softball team finished with a 15-7 record, narrowly beating this year's squad in winning percentage, .682 to .600. The wins also secured the six-seed in the ten-team 2015 NSIC/US Bank Conference Softball Tournament, setting up a matchup with three-seeded Minnesota State on Thursday, April 30 at 12 p.m.     
 
 
Game 1: UIU 8, SMSU 0
Upper Iowa got off to a hot start in the first inning, loading the bases with nobody out. After a pair of strike outs, Lauren Marlinghaus came up and ripped one through the left side of the infield and had it roll under the glove of the left fielder and all the way to the wall. All three runners came around to score and UIU led 3-0 early.
 
The Peacocks again loaded the bases in the fourth, adding a run on a walk from senior Whitney Williams to bring home Riley Kruel, who got things going in the inning with a two-out bunt single.
 
In the fifth, Upper Iowa finally got some good contact on SMSU pitcher Alex O'Connor, hitting a pair of bombs to left field. The first came off the bat of Erica Kirgan with no one on and one out. Katie Sammons followed the home run with a sharply hit single to left. Marlinghaus came to the plate and crushed the pitch over the wall in left to give Upper Iowa a 7-0 lead.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Shelby Crist led off with a single and stole second. Katie Mnichowicz ended the game with a double over the head of the right fielder, scoring Crist and giving the Peacocks an eight run lead, 8-0.
                                                       
Jacqueline Flood (13-12) tossed the shutout, throwing six scoreless frames, allowing six hits and striking out six.
 
Game 2: UIU 13, SMSU 0
For the second straight game, Upper Iowa loaded the bases without an out. The Peacocks wouldn't go away so easily in this one, scoring six in the first inning of game two and bringing nine hitters to the plate. The rally was highlighted by Sammy Garrett's RBI double, which she was able to move to third on because of an error in the outfield, then score on an overthrow trying to get her at third.
 
After the Mustangs hit a solo home run in the top of the second, the Peacocks went with the long ball in their half of the inning as Flood and Kirgan went back-to-back, pushing the UIU lead to 9-1.
 
Again, SMSU chipped away at the lead in the third with two runs, but UIU again had a response. Upper Iowa sent batted around for the second time in three innings, scoring four runs in the bottom of the third on four hits and three walks.
 
In a 13-3 game, Brooke Redmond sent down the Mustangs in order in the fourth and fifth to close out the game. Redmond (6-11) allowed four hits over her five innings, giving up three runs and striking out three.