The Peacock softball team dropped a pair of games on Sunday afternoon at the Eischeid Softball Complex in Fayette to the Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State University. Upper Iowa's offense struggled in the sweep, scoring just five total runs, while the pitching staff allowed 14 runs on the afternoon. SMSU tallied two of its better offensive performances of the season a rainy afternoon in northeast Iowa. With the losses, UIU drops to 8-20 overall and 0-6 to begin the NSIC campain. With the sweep, SMSU improves to 12-10 and 3-3 in league play.
Game One
The Mustangs jumped out to an early 3-0 lead thanks to a run in the first inning and two more in the second inning on a two-run homer off the scoreboard in left by Abbie Decker.
The Peacocks were able to answer with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second after a walk, infield single and a hit batsmen loaded the bases with one out.
Julia Buffington walked with two outs to push one run across and
Riley Kruel singled in a run before a flyout to center ended the UIU threat.
Taylor Koloc extended the Mustang lead to 4-2 in the fifth inning with a homerun to left centerfield to open the frame. The lead kept growing in the sixth inning when Southwest Minnesota State scored three runs on two hits, two walks and a hit batsmen.
Trailing 7-2, the Peacocks came up for their final at bats in the seventh. Kruel singled with one out to reach base, moved to second on a ground out and scored on a fielding error on the Mustang infield to pull UIU within four, but the home team wouldn't get any closer.
Alex O'Connor improved to 5-5 on the year with a complete game win. The Mustang pitcher allowed three runs, two were earned, on six hits while striking out seven Peacock batters.
Emily Kisch took the loss to fall to 5-10 after allowing seven runs on nine hits.
Kruel and
Jordyn Brennan each tallied a pair of hits in the game.
Game Two
UIU scored first in the second game in the bottom of the second inning. The Peaocks loaded the bases as a pair of singles snadwiched a walk with one out.
Katie Sammons brought a run home with a sacrifice fly to left before a foul flyout ended the rally.
SMSU wasn't down long as the Mustangs scored six runs in the top of the third inning on six hits including a two-run double by Madison Krog, a three-run homerun by Mackenzie Clouse and a solo shot to left by Karmann Carroll. The two homeruns came in successive at bats for SMSU.
UIU looked to answer immediately in the bottom of the third with back-to-back singles by Kruel and
Sami Kay Shafranski to put a pair of Peacocks on the bases with no outs. After a pair of outs, the runners had moved up 60 feet to stand on second and third, but were stranded there to end the threat.
Brennan opened the fourth inning with a solo homerun over the fence in rightfield to cut the margin to four , 6-2. The homer was Brennan's first with the Peacocks. UIU tried to rally again in the fifth getting back-to-back singles by Kruel and Shafranski, but the team failed to bring a run in as they did in the third inning.
The Mustangs added a final run in the sixth inning on an rbi-single that followed a two-out double.
Athena Golling got the win to improve to 4-2 throwing four innings; she allowed two runs on five hits while striking out three. Megan Cull threw three innings of relief allowing just three hits while striking out five batters.
Erin Drahozal (1-6) went just 2.2 innings allowing six runs on six hits.
Courtney Clayberg came on in relief to keep the Mustangs in check with 4.1 innings of work. Clayberg allowed just one run on four hits while striking out a pair of batters.
At the plate, Brennan, Kruel and Shafranski all tallied two hits apiece, but UIU only managed two other hits in the game.
The Peacocks will now leave Fayette for a eight-game road trip. Next week, UIU will face Augustana University on Tuesday in Sioux Falls, S.D., Bemidji State University on Saturday in Bemdji, Minn. and the University of Minnesota Crookston on Sunday in Crookston, Minn.
