The Upper Iowa softball team opened the Northern Sun Conference season with a split against the Winona State Warriors. The Peacocks dropped game one, 4-3, as the Warriors jumped ahead in the top of the fifth with a two-run home run. In game two, the Peacocks won a pitcher's duel by rallying for three runs in the bottom of the sixth on their way to a 3-0 victory.

Senior Jacqueline Flood took the loss in game one, while senior Brooke Redmond got her sixth complete-game and second shutout of the year in game two. After going 1-1 on the day, Upper Iowa is now 15-9, while Winona State moved to 19-6.

Winona State 4, Upper Iowa 3

UIU got on the board first in game one when Flood hit a one-hop double off the wall to score junior Riley Kruel and give Upper Iowa a 1-0 lead. Winona State took the lead in the top of third after the Warriors drew a pair of two-out walks that both came around to score on a Natalie Kalmes double. 

This see-saw game swung back in UIU's favor in the bottom of the fourth when the Peacocks put a two-spot on the board to take back the lead 3-2. Senior Lauren Marlinghaus started the inning with a double and two batters later, pinch-running freshman Sami Kay Shafranski came home on junior Katie Sammons sacrifice fly to center field. Sophomore Sammy Garrett came up next and hit a double to the right center field gap and scored when Kruel reached on an error. 

The lead, however, didn't last long as WSU infielder Chelsey Rodenkirch hit a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the fifth, which gave them a 4-3 lead.

Upper Iowa had a multiple runners of their own on base in bottom of the fifth and sixth, but left them stranded on base. Flood held the Warriors hitless over the final two innings, but the Peacocks went down in order in the seventh to end the game.

Flood threw a complete game and allowed four runs, all earned, on five hits. The righty struck out four and walked a pair. Kruel reached base in all four of her at-bats, finishing with three hits and a run scored to lead UIU at the plate. Flood and Marlinghaus added a pair of hits each.

Upper Iowa 3, Winona State 0

Game two was a battle of wills between UIU's Redmond and Winona State's pitcher, Alex Walker. Redmond started the game by striking out the side in the top of the first, while Walker held the Peacocks to just one hit in the first five innings of the game.

Each team finally picked up their first hits in the third inning. Winona State got the first hit of the game to lead off the third and sacrificed the runner over to second, but Redmond was able to get the next two hitters in order to work out of the jam. The Peacocks had two runners on in their half of the third as Sammons reached via a walk and Garrett had an infield single, but Walker sent the next two Peacocks back to the dugout to end the threat.

In the fifth inning, WSU once again had their first hitter reach on a single and used a sac bunt to move the runner to second, but Redmond was once again up to the task and struck out the next two hitters to end the inning.

The Peacocks finally broke through with a little help from Winona State. Upper Iowa caught their first break of the inning when freshman Jenny Budds reached on a dropped pop up. Flood then singled to right field, but the throw back into the infield hit Flood in the helmet, caromed away and allowed Budds to score from third and Flood to move to second. Kirgan came up next and appeared to pop out to the catcher, but the umpire called an illegal pitch, allowing Kirgan another chance to hit and moved Flood to third. A few pitches later, Kirgan hit her second home run of the year to put Upper Iowa up 3-0.

Winona State looked for some two-out magic in the top of the seventh and came up with a single, but Redmond struck out the final hitter to end the game.

Redmond won her sixth straight decision to improve to 8-2. The lefty threw seven innings, allowed just four hits and struck out eight Warriors. The Peacocks were out-hit in the game, 4-3, but Winona State had four errors, while the Peacocks had just one.