The Peacock softball team kept its hot start to the Northern Sun Conference season rolling on Sunday with a two-game sweep of the St. Cloud State Huskies on Sunday in St. Cloud, Minn. Upper Iowa out-hit the Huskies 18-6 on the day and beat SCSU 6-1 in game one and 8-0 in game two. UIU moved to 22-10 overall and 8-2 in the NSIC with the wins, while St. Cloud State dropped to 20-17 and 6-6 with the losses.
 
Junior Riley Kruel was a catalyst for the Peacock offense, going 5-for-7 out of the leadoff spot, while senior Tara Duran, senior Jacqueline Flood, junior Katie Sammons and sophomore Sammy Garrett each slugged home runs in the wins.
 
Flood (10-6) threw a complete game in the victory in game one as she surrendered one unearned run on four hits, struck out seven and walked three. Senior Brooke Redmond (11-2) threw five innings of shutout baseball for the win in game two and allowed just two hits, struck out four and walked two.
 
Game one: Upper Iowa 6, St. Cloud State 1
 
SCSU put the pressure on first in game one as the Huskies had runners on second and third with just one out in the bottom of the first, but Flood was able to pick up a strike out for the second out of the inning, then induce a grounder to first to end the frame.
 
The Peacocks responded in a big way in the top of the second as Duran launched her first home run of the year and Sammons hit her team-leading fifth bomb, both solo, to put UIU up 2-0.
 
It was Upper Iowa again scratching the scoreboard in the top of the third when Flood matched Sammons with her fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot which gave the Peacocks a 4-0 lead.
 
UIU was back at in the top of the fifth, adding two more runs with a little help from the Huskies as SCSU had two errors in the inning. Junior Tara Walls picked up an RBI groundout for the first run in the fifth, followed by a Duran RBI single to make a 6-0, Peacocks.
 
In the meantime, Flood was mowing down the SCSU hitters. The Mt. Vernon, Illinois native sent 13 of 14 Huskies back to the dugout from the end of the first inning through the bottom of the fifth.
 
In the top of the sixth, Upper Iowa threatened with the bases loaded, but was unable to add to its lead. In the bottom half of the inning, Flood had to work out of a jam as St. Cloud State loaded the bases on a couple walks and a hit batter, but a ground out back to Flood ended the inning.
 
Again in the bottom of the seventh SCSU loaded the bases and scored an unearned run as the leadoff hitter reached on an error, but Flood induced a pop up to second base to end the game.
 
Duran and Kruel each had two hits in the game, while Flood and Duran picked up a pair of RBI. Flood earned the victory, her 10th of the year, as she tossed a complete game and allowed just the one unearned run on four hits. The righty struck out seven and walked three.
 
Game two: Upper Iowa 8, St. Cloud State 0
 
Upper Iowa needed a little base running magic to get on the board first in game two. In the third inning with two outs and runners on the corners, the Peacocks ran a pickle play to perfection. Flood, who was on first, got into a pickle between first and second, which allowed Kruel, who was on third, to scamper home as the throw was late to the plate.
 
UIU broke the game wide open in the top half of the next inning as UIU scored four runs on five hits to make it 5-0, Peacocks. Duran, freshman Jenny Budds and Sammons each singled to start the inning and load the bases. Two batters later, Kruel hit a single up the middle to score Duran and Budds. A couple batters later, Flood came through with a two-out, two RBI double to right field, scoring Sammons and Kruel.
 
The Peacocks put the game away in the top of the fifth as Duran and Sammons walked, setting up Garrett for a three-run homer, her second of the season, that put Upper Iowa up 8-0.
 
The Huskies made a last ditch effort in the bottom of the fifth with a pair singles, their first hits of the game, and drew a walk to load the bases. But Redmond came through with a strike out and got the final SCSU hitter to fly out to center to end the game.
 
Kruel had her second straight multi-hit game as she went 3-for-4 in game two, and added two runs scored and two RBI. Budds was the only other Peacock with more than one hit as she went 2-for-3.
 
Redmond earned her 11th in dominant fashion as the Basehor, Kansas native allowed just the two hits in the bottom of the fifth, struck out four and walked a pair.