The Peacock softball team dropped a pair of games in Winona, Minn. on Tuesday afternoon to open the Northern Sun Conference season. Winona State University outhit Upper Iowa 18-9 at Alumni Field to earn the sweep, scoring 9 runs in each game. UIU dropped game one 9-0 in six innings before being topped 9-3 in game two to close out the afternoon. With the losses, the Peacocks drop to 8-16 overall and 0-2 to start NSIC action. With the wins, the Warriors improve to 21-6 overall and 2-0 to begin league play.

Upper Iowa will return to Fayette on Saturday and Sunday, Apr. 1-2 to host the Sioux Falls Cougars and Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs to open the NSIC home season. UIU will host USF on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Eischeid Softball Complex, and the doubleheader will be broadcast in eastern Iowa on KCRG TV 9.2. Sunday's doubleheader with SMSU will get underway at 12 p.m., and will show on KCRG TV 9.3. Both games will be available online on UIU TV.

Game One
After a scoreless first inning, the home team put together a seven-run second to break game one open early on off Peacock starter Emily Kisch. Jaida Reynen singled through the right side with the bases loaded to plate a pair of runs to get the scoring started, and the Warriors would continue to plate runs. Two batters later, Katelyn Kolb roped a two-run double to right field to push the lead to 4-0. Three batters later, Paige Keegan singled to right to score another, and Lani Van Zyl would wrap up the big inning with a two-run home run to left to break open the 7-0 advantage.

At the plate, the Peacock offense struggled against the top pitching staff in the NSIC. McKenna Larsen allowed just five hits in the circle for Winona State, and faced just 23 batters in six innings of work. The Warrior staff has combined for a 1.43 earned run average, and Tuesday was no different. However, Sami Kay Shafranski tallied two hits in three at bats, while Sammy Garrett, Tara Walls, and Jordyn Brennan each tallied a hit for UIU as well.

Winona State finished the game off in the sixth with a two-run home run by Mariah Schultz to enforce the run-rule and end the game in six innings. Kisch pitched two innings, taking the loss and dropping to 5-8 on the season. Courtney Clayberg pitched 3.2 innings of relief, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out two and walking two.

Game Two
Game two began with a Warrior lead in the first inning, but the Peacocks would respond at the plate themselves. WSU led 2-0 after two innings off UIU starter Erin Drahozal, scoring on an rbi-single in the first and an rbi-fielder's choice in the second. The visitors would answer though with a senior at the plate. Garrett stepped up with a runner on and ripped a two-run home run to left center for her third long ball of the season. However, Winona State would push out the lead in the middle innings.

A four-run third inning was propelled by a pair of rbi-doubles and a pair of rbi-singles by the middle of the Warrior lineup. WSU added to the lead with a three-run fourth inning to take the lead 9-2 after an rbi-single, a sacrifice fly, and a UIU error in the field. Upper Iowa added a run in the fifth inning when Shafranski grounded out to score Jenny Budds, but the home team built up a significant lead and held on 9-3 for the sweep.

Drahozal tossed 3.0 innings of six-run ball, allowing 8 hits in the process while striking out two and walking one. Clayberg came in for relief again in game two, pitching 3.0 innings herself, allowing two earned run on two hits while striking out one and walking three. Riley Kruel went 2-3 in the leadoff spot to lead the Peacocks at the plate in game two, but UIU only totaled 4 hits off Warrior starter Jordyn Kleman in the loss.