The Peacock softball team split their opening games at the 2017 Teri Mathis-Zenner Memorial Tournament in Joplin, Mo. on Saturday. Upper Iowa earned a hard-fought, 2-1 win in extra innings over Missouri Southern State behind outstanding pitching in the circle, before dropping a 12-6 decision to Northeastern State to wrap up the day. With the spit, UIU is now 3-9 on the season.

Upper Iowa will return to the diamond in Joplin to wrap up the tournament against Nebraska-Kearney and Northwest Missouri State. UIU's second matchup of the season with UNK will begin at 10 a.m. Sunday morning, and first pitch against the NMSU Bearcats is set for 12 p.m.

Game One
The Peacocks were involved in a pitcher's dual right from the beginning with the host Lions of Missouri Southern State University. Upper Iowa's freshman pitcher Emily Kisch would go the distance in the extra-inning game, holding the Lions scoreless for the majority of the afternoon. Despite a runner reaching on an infield error, Kisch rolled through the first frame without allowing a hit.

The Lions put some pressure on UIU in the bottom of the second, with a single and a walk putting runners at first and second with one out. However, Kisch would retire the next two batters with a strikeout looking and a pop-out to end the threat. After a one-two-three third, MSSU again threatened on the base paths with back-to-back singles with one out in the fourth inning. But Kisch, who was spectacular all game, got out of the jam, inducing an unonventional double-play on a pop-up to third, with Jordyn Brennan making the catch and throwing back to second to get the base runner.

Kisch allowed just one base-runner over the next two innings, and would get to the bottom of the seventh still scoreless. The Elgin, Ill. native faced the most pressure in this time around, but battled the entire way through. MSSU drew a walk to start the inning, and after a sacrifice bunt advanced the runner, the home team had the game-winning run in scoring position with one out. After a base-hit up the middle put runners on the corners, Kisch got a ground ball to third base. UIU's only play was the out at first, putting runners at second and third with two away. After a bases-loading walk, Kisch made the pitch again to get the groundout to end the threat. UIU went to extras scoreless.

The Peacock offense struggled to get anything going in game one as well. UIU put two runners on base in the first four innings, both on Lion errors. It was not until the fifth that Upper Iowa would get its first hit of the day. Michaela Schumacher singled up the middle with one out, but a pair of fly-outs ended the threat. Sami Kay Shafranski tallied a hit in the sixth, but the Peacocks could not put any extra pressure on MSSU pitcher Sydney Koch.

In the eighth inning, the Peacocks would finally break the barrier. Katie Sammons lead the inning off with her first hit of the season, a double down the left field line. After a groundout, Riley Kruel singled up the middle to put runners on the corners with one away. After Missouri Southern State made a pitching change, Shafranski laid down a perfect bunt in front of the plate to score Sammons. Everyone was safe, and UIU took the 1-0 lead. After a flyout, Tara Walls singled into left center to plate another run. Walls was thrown out trying to advance to second on the throw, and the Peacocks took a 2-0 advantage into the home half of the eighth.

A throwing error and a pass ball put a runner at second base with one out in the bottom of the inning, and a single put runners at the corners for MSSU. An RBI-single to center put a run across for the home team, but Kisch forced a pop-up to get the second out and struck out the final batter to preserve the win. Kisch went the distance, allowing the one run (unearned) on six hits while striking out three.

Game Two
Courtney Clayberg faced pressure early and often in game two against the RiverHawks from Northeastern State University. After NSU stole home in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead, Ryan Martin hit a grand slam in the third inning to give the RiverHawks a commanding 5-0 lead. Facing an early deficit, the Peacock bats were forced to get going.

Upper Iowa responded with a two-run fourth after Walls roped a two-run shot for her first home run of the season to get UIU within three. However, Northeastern State would answer with a two-run home run of their own in the bottom half of the fourth to reclaim the five-run lead. Shafranski laced an RBI-single in the fifth to score another Peacock run, and Julia Buffington ripped a two-run home run to center field to get Upper Iowa back within two runs, 7-5. Buffington leads the team with three long balls this season.

Northeastern State, however, would break the game wide open with a five-run sixth inning to in essence put the game away. Buffington added an RBI-single in the seventh inning, but it was not enough as NSU earned a 12-6 win.

Clayberg took the loss tossing 2.2 innings of work allowing 4 earned on 3 hits. Tori Clark came in to pitch 0.2 inning to get into the fourth, allowing two earned on a hit. Erin Drahozal pitched the final 2.2 innings, allowing 5 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits while striking out 4.