The Upper Iowa University softball team dropped a doubleheader against the University of Minnesota Duluth on the road. The Bulldogs claimed a 13-2 win in game one that went five innings due to run rule. UMD then secured an 8-0 win in walk-off fashion that went six innings due to run rule. The Peacocks fall to a record of 10-23 (6-14 NSIC) overall.
GAME 1: Minnesota Duluth 13, Upper Iowa 2 (5 inn.)
Minnesota Duluth struck first as the hosts sandwiched a triple between a pair of pop outs in the bottom of the first inning. A single opened the scoring for UMD, and a two-run home run in the ensuing at-bat promptly pushed the score to 3-0 in favor of the Bulldogs.
In the bottom of the second inning, UMD hit a leadoff single before striking out and flying out in their next at-bats. Back-to-back walks loaded the bases full of Bulldogs, and the next batter bashed a grand slam to open up a 7-0 lead.
UIU stranded two UMD runners in the bottom of the third, and
Katie Crogan opened the top of the fourth frame with a leadoff home run to break up the no hitter and cut the UIU deficit to 7-1. Crogan's long ball was one of three straight hits for the Peacocks as
Sydney Wilcox and
Emily Draeger notched consecutive singles to give UIU two on with no outs. A groundout advanced both runners into scoring position, but Upper Iowa would strand the pair to end the inning.
Duluth led off the bottom of the fourth frame by getting their first three batters on the bases following a double, a hit-by-pitch, and a walk. A sacrifice fly scored a run and gave UMD an 8-1 advantage, and the next batter reached on a UIU error that allowed a run to score and pushed the deficit to 9-1. Another single from the Bulldogs scored another run to make it 10-1, and a fly out marked what should have been the final out of the inning. Working with just two outs due to the earlier error, Minnesota Duluth hit a three-run home run to push their lead to 13-1 before the end of the fourth inning.
Needing to rally in the top of the fifth to keep the game from ending early, the Peacocks got a leadoff single from
Kaylee Frenette to kick off their comeback effort. A fielder's choice and a groundout left UIU with two outs and a runner on second, and Crogan hit an RBI single to score the second Upper Iowa run of the game. Wilcox hit a single of her own in the next at-bat to put two Peacocks on with two outs, but the comeback was cut short as a ground out clinched a 13-2 win for UMD in a game that went five innings due to run rule.
GAME 2: Minnesota Duluth 8, Upper Iowa 0 (6 inn.)
The Peacocks looked to get things going early as they got a leadoff single from
Kaylee Frenette in the top of hte first inning. A sacrifice bunt from
Amanda Williams advanced the runner into scoring position, and Frenette tried to take advantage by going home on a single from
Katie Crogan in the ensuing at-bat but was thrown out at the plate.
The Bulldogs also got their leadoff runner on following a walk, and a one-out single with a UIU error that allowed the runner to get to third put runners on the corners for UMD. The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead with a groundout in the next at-bat, and they quickly pushed that lead to 2-0 by following it up with a two-out single. Another single and a walk loaded the bases, but
Sydney Wilcox got out of the jam with a fly out.
The teams singled in each of the next three half-innings, but the next score would not come until the bottom of the third as UMD picked up another run on four hits in the inning. A leadoff double in the bottom of the fourth frame and a one-out single gave Minnesota Duluth a 4-0 lead through as many innings. Both teams went down in order in the fifth, and UIU left a runner on in the top of the sixth.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Bulldogs led things off with a home run to extend the UIU deficit to 5-0. UMD followed the long ball with a single in the next at-bat, and after a groundout they reached on an error after a would-be strikeout to put runners on the corners with one out. A walk in the ensuing at-bat loaded the bases full of Bulldogs, and a hit-by-pitch pushed another run across to make it 6-0. Minnesota Duluth hit an RBI sacrifice fly to go up by seven, and the ended the game in walk-off fashion with an RBI single that clinched the 8-0 win due to run rule.
UP NEXT... The Peacocks are scheduled to continue their time away with a doubleheader matchup against St. Cloud State University at 12 p.m. on Apr. 25 in St. Cloud, Minn.
