The Peacock softball team was involved a couple of wild games in Fayette on Thursday afternoon with the St. Cloud State Huskies. Upper Iowa held a 3-1 lead in the top of the seventh in game one, but a six-run inning propelled the visitors to steal the opener. A pitcher's dual took place in game two, with UIU holding a 1-0 lead for the majority of the game. But another SCSU comeback tied it in the seventh, and the game went to extras. UIU walked off in the bottom of the tenth inning to earn the win. With the split, Upper Iowa improves to 14-24 overall and 6-10 in the Northern Sun Conference. After the twin bill, St. Cloud State sits at 24-17 overall and 9-7 in league play.

Upper Iowa will play their fifth and sixth games in a three day stretch tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. at the Eischeid Softball Complex against the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. The Peacocks will host Strikeout Melanoma Day to honor research for Melanoma cancer. The team will wear a black ribbon on their uniform and will auction different items at the game. The doubleheader will be broadcast online on UIU TV and will be available in eastern Iowa on KCRG TV 9.3. Bidding for the jerseys can be found here.

Game One
Upper Iowa led for the majority of the game in the opener, but trailed early. St. Cloud State struck first off Peacock starter Erin Drahozal in the top of the second inning with smart base-running. UIU catcher Shannon Nix threw out a runner stealing second, but the runner at third came home on the throw to give the visitors at 1-0 lead. UIU answered in the bottom half of the inning when senior Riley Kruel totaled her fifth RBI of the season on a single up the middle. Both starting pitchers would have to work their way through the innings, with a lot of base runners on board in each frame.

The home team took the lead in the bottom of the third after loading the bases with one out. Nix drew an rbi-walk and Katie Sammons continued to stay hot over the last few games with a single to right field. The Peacocks took the 3-1 lead and Drahozal was continuing to get out of trouble and keep the home team in the lead. However, after a scoreless third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, the Huskies came out swinging in the seventh.

SCSU sent 11 batters to the plate, earned 8 hits, and scored 6 runs in the top of the seventh inning to storm back and steal the opening game. Drahozal took the loss and was eventually lifted for Emily Kisch. Upper Iowa was stunned in game one, but had to try to find a way to bounce back in game two. Drahozal went 6.1 innings, allowed 6 runs on 8 hits. Sammons and Tara Walls each tallied two hits for UIU.

Game Two
Courtney Clayberg was spectacular in game two for the Peacocks, pitching a remarkable 10 innings in the marathon matchup. Her counterpart, SCSU's Kate Kopeck, was just as good, tossing 9.2 innings in the circle herself. Combined, the two right-handers allowed 14 hits in 10 innings, and gave up 3 total runs with just 2 earned. Both starters were consistent the entire game in the pitcher's dual.

The Peacocks struck first in game two, when Walls ripped a single up the middle to plate Kruel in the bottom of the third inning. St. Cloud State had no answer on offense, despite getting some early base runners. The visitors stranded the bases loaded in the first, but as the game moved along, Clayberg would work quick 1-2-3 frames to keep the Huskies off balance at the plate.

Neither offense could get it going throughout the game, until the final inning. St. Cloud State had another rally in them, coming back to tie the game. A leadoff single was followed by a stolen base, and SCSU had the tying run at second with no outs. A groundout to Kruel at shortstop was the first out of the frame, but then a rare mistake in the field cost UIU. A ground ball to second went under the glove of Julia Bufifngton and the Huskies would score on the play to tie the game, 1-1. St. Cloud did not go away the entire day, rallying for the second straight game.

Upper Iowa could not score in the bottom of the inning, forcing the matchup into extras. It was UIU's second extra-inning game of the season, with the first one an eight-inning win over Missouri Southern State in Joplin, Mo. St. Cloud threatened in eight, but Buffington redeemed herself with an outstanding play at second to keep the go-ahead run at third on a near base hit in the hole. In the tenth, SCSU put two on with walks, but a groundout ended the threat and the game moved to the bottom of the tenth.

Buffington reached via error to lead off the inning on a ground ball to third, and the sophomore was looking for redemption. She would get it moments later. After Kruel flew out, Sami Kay Shafranski singled down the left field line, and UIU had runners at first and second with one out. Sammy Garrett reached on a fielder's choice one batter later, and with runners on first and third, Walls came to the plate, The Peacock first baseman had the lone RBI in the game at that point, so the Huskies decided to intentionally walk Walls. That brought Michaela Schumacher to the dish, and the freshman delivered. Schumacher hit a bloop base hit over the third baseman's outstretched glove to walk off, and UIU earned the split. It was just the fifth RBI of the season for the backup catcher, and the 10-inning classic came to an end.

Nix, Walls, Shafranski, and Kruel led the Peacocks with two hits apiece, while Walls and Schumacher picked up the RBIs in the extra-inning win.