The Upper Iowa softball team played their first doubleheader of the weekend against the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons on Saturday evening in the Presentation Dome in Aberdeen, S.D. The Peacocks notched a 4-3 win in the first game of the series but fell 10-9 in extra innings thanks to a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning. Upper Iowa moved to 9-10 overall and 1-3 in the conference while MSU Moorhead sits at 10-13 overall and 1-3 in the NSIC.
Jordyn Brennan was a double away from hitting for the cycle on the day, launching a home run, a triple and a single to drive in five runs. Julia Buffington went 3-for-4 in the opener and drove in three runs fueled by a two-rbi homer. Kaylee Frenette had six total hits and an RBI, and Jenny Budds finished with four hits.
The Peacocks return back to the Presentation Dome on Sunday to face the Northern State University Wolves in another NSIC doubleheader. The first pitch is set for 2 p.m.
Game One: Upper Iowa 4, MSU Moorhead 3
The Peacocks scratched the scoreboard first with two runs in the top of the first. Frenette started the contest off with a double to left field and later scored the first run of the night when she advanced to third base on a wild pitch and came home on a throwing error by the catcher. Buffington later brought Brennan home with a single up the middle.
MSUM answered in the home half of the first with an rbi-single to right field that scored Samantha Gjerde.
After a scoreless second, Buffington added to her RBI total in the third with a two-run homer over the left field fence, her third long ball of the season. Katie Crogan came home on the play after reaching first by way of a hit-by-pitch.
Trailing 4-1, the Dragons were determined to comeback. MSUM scored a run in the fifth and another in the sixth before Jaclyn Thompson entered the game with runners at the corners and two outs. Thompson recorded the final out of the inning with a groundout to third and then retired all three batters faced in the seventh to shut the door on the comeback and earn her first career save as a Peacock.
Emily Kisch (6-4) was credited the win after pitching 5.2 innings, allowing three runs on 11 hits and striking out seven batters.
Becky Berth (6-7) took the loss after tossing all 7.0 innings and surrendering four runs (three earned) on nine hits.
Game Two: MSU Moorhead 10, Upper Iowa 9 (10 Innings)
In similar fashion to the opener, the Peacocks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Sami Kay Shafranski drew a walk and Brennan got a hold of one and sent it out of the park to give UIU the early lead.
Upper Iowa tacked on two more runs in the second with back-to-back singles from Frenette and Shafranski that plated Erin Drahozal and Jenny Budds. The Dragons took advantage of a miscue by the Peacocks and a rbi-bunt single to score a pair of runs in the bottom of the second to cut the lead to 4-2.
MSUM outscored the Peacocks 7-1 over the next three innings to hold a comfortable 9-5 lead going into the sixth inning. In desperate need of some offense, the Peacocks used two hits, a fielder's choice and a Dragon error to load the bases for Brennan with two outs. The junior proved she was up for the task as she roped a three-run triple to cut the Dragons lead to 9-8, and life was back for Upper Iowa. Crogan followed the triple with a base hit to left field that plated Brennan and tied the game at 9-9.
After back-and-forth scoring the whole game, neither squad could push across a run in the seventh and the game went into extra innings. Both teams battled in the extra frames, but a solo shot to right field with two outs was enough to decide the game as MSUM earned the walk-off victory in the bottom of the 10th.
Thompson (0-2) suffered the loss after allowing the go-ahead run in extra innings. She pitched 6.0 total innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks. Sydney Wilcox started the game for the Peacocks but only lasted 3.2 innings after allowing seven runs (five earned) on eight hits.
Berth rebounded from her game one loss with the win in game two. She pitched 4.2 innings, striking out two batters but giving up two runs on six hits. Anna Lang started the game and allowed seven runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings.
