The Peacock softball team finished out their weekend at the Presentation Dome in Aberdeen, S.D. with a split against the Northern State University Wolves on Sunday afternoon. Upper Iowa came out on top in the opener by a final score of 4-1 but couldn't complete a late-game comeback to fall 4-3 in the nightcap. The Peacocks are now 10-11 (2-4 NSIC) while the Wolves sit at 10-18 (2-4 NSIC).

Julia Buffington led the Peacocks with four hits and two runs scored while Jenny Budds registered three hits, two RBIs and scored once. 

Upper Iowa returns back to the diamond on Tuesday for a doubleheader at Concordia University, St. Paul beginning at 2 p.m.

Game One: Upper Iowa 4, Northern State 1
Upper Iowa got out to a 1-0 lead after Kaylee Frenette scored a run on the rbi-groundout from Jordyn Brennan. Frenette drew the leadoff walk and advanced to second and third on an NSU error and sacrifice bunt from Sami Kay Shafranski prior to rounding home. 

The Peacocks then extended their lead to 3-0 with two more runs in the second inning. Buffington start the frame off with a single up the middle and then advanced to second on a passed ball. Erin Drahozal was the next batter up and plated Buffington with a double to the gap in left center. She later came around to score after Kennedy Newell singled and Budds reached first on a fielder's choice. 

Katie Crogan drove in UIU's final run of the game in the third with a base hit to right center that scored Shafranski. Northern State was able to get one run back in the bottom half of the inning when Madison Rutter was sacrificed home by Kennady Thompson. 

The teams then went into defensive battles that resulted in no runs scoring over the last four innings to set the final mark at 4-1. The Peacocks registered four hits and left six runners stranded in that span while the Wolves had three hits and left four on.

Drahozal earned her second win of the season in relief of starter Emily Kisch. Drahozal pitched 4.0 innings and gave up three hits but didn't allow a run. 

Game Two: Northern State 4, Upper Iowa 3
Northern State was the first team to make a dent the scoreboard in the nightcap, driving in one run on four hits in the bottom of the first. Andrea Cherney started on the mound for the Wolves and gave the Peacocks some trouble in the beginning. The freshman retired eight straight Peacocks before Jenny Budds broke open the offense in the third inning with a single up the middle and a stolen base to second. 

Frenette followed suit with another single that advanced Budds to third, and then the senior scored on a throwing error by the second baseman. Upper Iowa looked to take the lead with the bases loaded, but Cherney struck out her second batter of the day to end the threat.

The scored remained at 1-1 until the bottom of the fifth when Thompson hit a huge home run for the Wolves that scored herself and two other teammates for a 4-1 lead. The Peacocks came close to tying the game in the seventh after scoring two runs on two hits, but the Wolves turned back to Cherney who had previously left the game for Makenzie Merritt. With two outs and the tying run onboard, Cherney coaxed a fly-out to end it and pick up the save.

Jaclyn Thompson (0-3) took the loss after allowing three runs on three hits in 2.0 innings of work. Sydney Wilcox and Drahozal also saw action in game two and together gave up one run on eight hits.