The Peacocks softball team pushed their win streak to nine straight with their fourth straight series sweep in the Northern Sun Conference defeating the Golden Eagles of the University of Minnesota Crookston 22-12 and 13-0 (5 Inn.). 

Upper Iowa's offense was on fire in Fayette on Monday against Minnesota Crookston scoring 35 runs on 36 hits led by Payton Kastenschmidt, who tallied nine runs batted in on the afternoon. Jaclyn Thompson was happy to take runs in the game two, but only needed one as the senior threw UIU's first no-hitter since 2003. 

UIU (20-13, 12-6 NSIC) have been on a roll ever since winning game two against the University of Sioux Falls to kick off their current nine-game roll. 

The Peacocks will be right back at Eischeid Softball Complex on Tuesday for their regularly scheduled double header with the Mavericks of Minnesota State University, Mankato. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. and will mark both teams' third straight day of action.

Game One: Upper Iowa 22 - Minnesota Crookston 12

The Golden Eagles and Peacocks combined for 34 runs on 34 hits, but the defenses did their part to help the offense as well with UIU committing 3 errors and UMC posting 9 errors. Only 19 or the games 34 runs were earned.

In the first, Minnesota Crookston scored five runs fueled by a three-run homer off the bat of Mikaela Rodriguez. All five runs came in the frame after a flyball that would have ended the inning was dropped when two Peacocks nearly collided.

Upper Iowa answered in the top of the second with six runs on four hits and a pair of Golden Eagle errors. The scoring explosion was highlighted by a pair of two-run single by Julia Buffington and Payton Kastenschmidt.

UIU added eight more runs in the third inning thanks to six hits and two more UMC errors. Jordyn Brennan doubled in a run, Kastenschmidt cranked a home run into the pine trees beyond the left field fence and Sami Kay Shafranski doubled to left center to push home the sixth run and give Upper Iowa a 14-5 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Golden Eagles scored two runs on three hits, but Upper Iowa was able to scratch a run back in the top of the fifth to return their lead to 15-7. UIU's run in the fifth came on a single off the bat of Emily Draegger.

The Golden Eagles cut the gap to four, 15-11, with four runs on five hits. Haley Macias hit a high fly ball toward the fence in left field with one out. The ball hit off UIU's leftfielder's glove for an error and then landed on the other side of the fence as both baserunners and the hitter came home on the play. UMC added one more run in the sixth to pull within three, 15-12. 

The Peacocks left no doubt in the seventh inning posting seven runs on five hits and three Golden Eagle errors. Erin Drahozal homered to left to open the inning and both Brennan and Buffington each drove in a run with a double to key the big inning and secure the 22-12 win.

Emily Kisch earned the win to improve to 12-5 throwing three innings and grabbing five strikeouts and no earned runs. 

Shafranski, Katie Crogan, Kastenschmidt and Buffington all collected three hits apiece, while Kastenschmidt led the team with 6 runs driven in.

Game Two: Upper Iowa 13 - Minnesota Crookston 0 (5 Inn.)

Peacock starter Jaclyn Thompson (3-4) threw a no-hitter in game two with five strikeouts. Thompson did put seven Golden Eagles on base with walks, but the righthander used her strikeouts and defensive teammates behind her to strand all the runners on the bases. The no-hitter marks the first time that a UIU pitcher has thrown the milestone in Upper Iowa's 13-year history in NCAA Division II. UIU's last no-hitter was thrown by Angie Weber, a UIU Hall of Fame inductee in 2017. Weber struck out nine in a five-inning game against the University of Dubuque; the Peacocks won 8-0.

While Thompson was in control on the mound, Crogan got the scoring started for UIU in the first inning with a two-run double to the gap in right center field. In the second frame, the Peacocks scored five runs on four hits and a pair of walks. The big hits in the inning came off the bats of Crogan with a single that plated two and a Kastenschmidt single that brought in a pair of Peacocks. 

UIU added a run in the third inning when Frenette singled up the middle to plate Drahozal. With an 8-0 lead, the Peacocks put the game away in the fifth with five runs on seven hits. Brennan drove in a pair of runs with a triple down the right field line and came home when Crogan singled to center. Kastenschmidt picked up her ninth RBI of the day with a double to the gap in right center and then Sidney Wilcox got a run-scoring single to push UIU's final run across the board in her first at bat of the season.

Crogan and Kastenschmidt each had three hits while adding five and three RBI, respectively. Frenette, Buffington and Jenny Budds all had two hits in the second game.