The Peacock softball team clinched a spot in the Northern Sun Conference Softball Tournament with a double header sweep at home against the Marauders of the University of Mary on Senior Day. Upper Iowa will return to the NSIC Tournament for the first time since claiming the NSIC Tournament Championship in 2016. UIU won game one 8-2 and then 14-4 in game two. With the sweep, UIU moves back over .500 on the season with a 23-22 record overall and a 15-15 in conference games. UMary falls to 21-29 overall and 12-18 in the NSIC.

Upper Iowa honored their five seniors between games. The Peacocks recognized Erin Drahozal, Julia Buffington, Jaclyn Thompson, Jenny Budds and Sami Kay Shafranski. The five Peacocks have helped guide Upper Iowa to more than 100 wins in the last four years.

UIU will play in the opening round of the NSIC Tournament in Rochester, Minn. on Thursday, May 2. The Peacocks are the No. 8 seed and will take on the No. 9 seed Southwest Minnesota State University at 10 a.m. UIU swept SMSU 9-1 (5) and 13-9 on Apr. 6, 2019 in Fayette.

Game One: Upper Iowa 8 - UMary 2

The Peacocks opened the scoring early after loading the bases with a pair of walks and a hit batter around a strikeout in the first inning. A run-scoring single off the bat of Erin Drahozal scratched the board for UIU and a sac fly to right by Payton Kastenschmidt plated the team's second run. Upper Iowa reloaded the bases with two outs, but the threat ended thanks to a great play up the middle by UMary's shortstop Paige Matsuki.

The Marauders answered in the top of the second with a double down the left field line by Rebekkah Keller to plate one run. UMary loaded the bases with two outs to chase UIU starter Emily Kisch, but Drahozal stepped in and forced a ground ball out to end the threat and keep UIU ahead 2-1. 

After a strikeout to open the second frame, UIU loaded the bases with a second hit batter, a single by Sami Kay Shafranski and a walk. Katie Crogan delivered all three and herself to the plate with her second grand slam of the season. The slam was a no-doubter off the bat for Crogan's eighth homer of the year.

In the fourth inning, the Peacocks loaded the bases with no outs after singles by Shafranski and Julia Buffington and a walk to Crogan. The Marauders got two outs without a run crossing the plate with a force out at home and a strikeout. Ali Green walked to send Shafranski home, but a pop up ended the inning without any more runs scoring.

Matsuki cut the gap to five, 7-2, with a solo homer to left center field in the fifth. Emma Noble followed with a double, but UIU reliever Sydney Wilcox was able to get UIU out of the jam and preserve UIU's advantage.

Three straight singles to open the sixth inning for the Peacocks by Crogan, Drahozal and Kastenschmidt gave UIU their six-run lead back and a walk to Green, her fourth of the game, loaded the bases with no outs. Unfortunately, the Peacocks couldn't add any more runs after a flyball to the outfield, a strikeout and a force out at third.

Wilcox got the three outs needed in the seventh to secure Upper Iowa's win and clinch a berth into the NSIC Tournament.

Drahozal (4-1) scored the win with 2.2 innings of work in relief allowing a run on three hits. Emily Kisch took a no-decision allowing just one run on two hits and four walks in 1.2 innings. Sydney Wilcox also threw well in relief with 2.2 innings and three strikeouts.

Kaitlyn Alvarado suffered the loss falling to 5-7 after giving up six runs on three hits, four walks and a pair of hit batters.

Shafranski, Crogan and Drahozal each recorded a pair of hits in the game. 

Game Two:  Upper Iowa 14 - UMary 4

Upper Iowa dominated game two scoring 14 runs on 14 hits and posting two monster innings. The Peacocks put up crooked numbers with five in the second and seven in the fourth inning to go along with a run in the first inning and one in the third.

Shafranski walked, stole second and came home on a single down the right field line by Crogan in the first inning. UIU started to expand their lead in the second inning with five runs on five hits highlighted by rbi-singles from Jenny Budds and Kaylee Frenette, a ground out from Shafranski that drove one in and a Julia Buffington run-scoring single. Budds added another rbi-single in the third inning to push UIU's advantage to 7-0. 

After the Marauders scored a pair of runs in the top of the fourth on a single by Mariah Sanchez, Upper Iowa exploded for seven runs on six hits including an rbi-single to right by Drahozal, that extended her reached-base streak to 24 and counting, an Ali Green two-run double, a Jordyn Brennan double to plate one, a single to drive in a run off the bat of Frenette and a two-run single to left for pinch hitter Amanda Williams.

UMary scored the games final two runs in the top of the fifth on a two-run blast over the left field fence by Emma Noble to set the final score at 14-4.

Jaclyn Thompson (5-8) picked up the win with four innings of work allowing two runs on five hits. Wilcox threw an inning of relief giving up two runs on one hit.

Brieann Backes (12-11) suffered the loss with 1.2 innings in the circle allowing six runs on five hits. 

Crogan added three more hits to her day's tally, while Frenette, Green, Brennan and Budds all collected two hits in the game.