The Peacock softball team picked up a sweep over the St. Cloud State Huskies, winning the first game 7-6 with a go-ahead RBI double in the bottom of the sixth by Jacqueline Flood. Then the Peacock bats came to life and Flood spun a gem from the circle, winning game two 8-0 in five innings. UIU improved to 10-19 on the season and 5-3 in NSIC play, while SCSU dropped to 19-15 and 5-5 in conference.

Upper Iowa will return to the field tomorrow with a doubleheader against Minnesota Duluth at the Eischeid Softball Complex. Game one will start at noon. 
 
Game 1: Upper Iowa 7, St. Cloud State 6

Three errors in the top of the first helped SCSU score two runs in the top of the first, both of which were unearned. The first run came around after a Taylor Thomas double scored Alyssa Coletto. Pitcher Brooke Redmond looked like she was going to get out of the inning, but a dropped throw at first base allowed Thomas score all the way from second.
 
The Peacocks responded with four runs in the third inning. Whitney Williams reached on an error by the third baseman then Katie Mnichowicz reached on a walk. Flood brought both runners home with a double to left center. A walk and an error allowed UIU to load the bases, and pinch-hitter Lauren Marlinghaus smacked a double to right field, scoring two more and putting the Peacocks ahead 4-2.
 
SCSU rallied back in the top of the fourth with a pair of singles followed by a three-run home run from shortstop Jordin Novak to give the Huskies a 5-4 lead.
 
UIU tied the game in the bottom half of the fourth without getting a hit, reaching and scoring on a pair of errors. Both teams traded runs in the fifth, and UIU took the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Williams reached on an error and Flood hit her second double of the day to bring Williams around.
 
Taylor Bjork (1-2), who came in to pitch in the fifth, picked up the win by shutting the door on the Huskies over two and two-thirds innings. Bjork held St. Cloud State scoreless, allowing just two hits, striking out one and walking one.


Game 2: Upper Iowa 8, St. Cloud State 0 (5 Innings)

Flood was on point from the start of game two. She mowed down the Huskies in order in the first. At the plate, he Peacocks started the second game with a bang, getting four two-out base runners to take an early lead. It started with a single from Flood, followed by a walk of Erica Kirgan. Sophomore left fielder Katie Sammons stepped up to the plate and crushed a ball over the right field wall to give UIU an early 3-0 lead.
 
Upper Iowa's pitching continued to be sharp in the top of the second and UIU added to their lead in the bottom half of the inning, scoring four runs on two hits and two errors. Mnichowicz picked up the first two RBI's with a single through the right side, bringing Sammy Garrett and Shelby Crist around to score. Flood grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Williams and Mnichowicz scored on an error by the Husky third baseman, the third SCSU error of the inning, bring the Upper Iowa lead to 7-0.
 
Flood continued her perfect game through the third and fourth. In the fifth, she got a little help from centerfielder Garrett, who made a running, shoestring catch for the first out of the inning. For the second out, Flood got the SCSU hitter to ground out to short. Unfortunately, the next hitter was able to barrel up on the pitch and hit a hard grounder up the middle for the first Husky hit of the game.  But Flood bounced back to strike out the next hitter and close out the inning.  
 
Then, in the bottom of the seventh, Kirgan hit a home run to right center, giving the Peacocks an eight-run lead to close out the game.