The Upper Iowa softball team was swept by St. Cloud State University at the Eischeid Softball Complex, falling 11-6 and 14-13 in a pair of high-scoring affairs. UIU falls to 15-18 (6-7 NSIC), while SCSU improves to 25-12 (13-3 NSIC).

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St. Cloud State 11, Upper Iowa 6

Four Peacocks notched multi-hit games as the offense had no shortage of opportunities, but 12 Peacocks were left on the bases over the outing. Ari Charles led the way with a 3-4 mark with a run and an RBI. Calista Brockmanhit 2-3 with an RBI and a run, while Kaylee Frenette was 2-4 with a run and a walk. 

Sydney Wilcox hit 2-3 with two runs, three RBI, and a walk, highlighted by a three-run home run, her first of the season. Wilcox (8-9) also earned the loss in the circle after allowing seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and two walks. She struck out three and plunked two in her 4.1 innings of work. Rylee McGonigle threw 2.2 innings of relief, allowing four earned runs on three hits, two walks, and a HBP while striking out four.

Haley McFarlane led SCSU four RBI and two runs thanks to a pair of home runs in four at-bats. Sydney Trees hit 2-4 with two runs, two RBI, and a round-tripper, while Holly Weinberger went 3-4 with one run, one RBI, and a double.

Trinity Junker started and allowed four earned runs on seven hits and four walks over three innings while striking out three. Lauren Kirchberg (3-1) earned the win after four innings of six-hit, two-run softball with four strikeouts.

Three-run innings were the name of the game in the front end of the doubleheader as the teams traded three spots on three occasions. St. Cloud opened the game with a three-run top of the first thanks to a leadoff hit-by-pitch and a stolen base ahead of an RBI double. A one-out, two-run homer put the Huskies ahead 3-0 before UIU came up to bat.

The Peacocks loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the first thanks to a pair of walks and a single. A Calista Brockman sacrifice fly gave her an RBI and cut the UIU deficit to 3-1, but two Peacocks were stranded to end the inning.

SCSU added an unearned run in the second after a pair of singles. A stolen base attempt saw a Husky runner get thrown out at the plate, but a UIU throwing error allowed the other SCSU runner to come around to score. Upper Iowa left the bases loaded in the bottom of the second before St. Cloud State saw two stranded in the third.

Katie Crogan and Brockman led off the bottom of the third with a pair of singles, and Sydney Wilcox gave herself some run support with a three-run blast that tied the game at 4-4.

The Huskies smacked three consecutive singles to lead off the fifth frame, but an out on the bases after a UIU error left two runners on with one out. Haley McFarlane put SCSU ahead 7-4 with a three-run home run that knocked Wilcox from the circle before Rylee McGonigle came in to strike out two to end the inning.

Upper Iowa left three more runners on base in the bottom of the fifth, and each team stranded one in the sixth. McFarlane increased the SCSU advantage to 8-4 with her second homer of the day. A pair of walks ahead of a three-run, two-out, pinch-hit round-tripper from Gabrielle Nelson saw the St. Cloud State edge swell to 11-4 before Upper Iowa's last licks.

Wilcox, Hannah Bridgewater, and Ari Charles hit singles in the bottom of the seventh, with Charles' RBI making it an 11-5 game. Charles came around to score a two-out run thanks to some aggressive base running, cutting the deficit to 11-6 before the end of the game.  

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St. Cloud State 14, Upper Iowa 13
 
The teams combined for 27 runs and 33 hits while each team stranded seven runners in a game that saw six lead changes and two ties. Eight Peacocks notched a hit with four multi-hit games, while five Huskies combined for 16 of the team's 19 knocks. 
 
Katie Crogan led the charge for Upper Iowa, hitting 3-4 with three runs, five RBI, two home runs, and a walk. With the homers, Crogan came into the day tied with Priscilla Rubalcava for Upper Iowa's single-season home run record, and the two jacks today broke another batting record for Crogan over this impressive offensive season.
 
Frenette, Sar. Jessie, Wilcox, and Charles each tallied two hits, while Sar. Jessie and Brockman recorded a pair of RBI. All nine Upper Iowa batters came around to score, led by Crogan's three and two from both Frenette and Charles. Samantha Jessie went 0-1 with a run while also working three walks.
 
Abby Buckman (4-6) was tagged with the loss after giving SCSU leads early and late. She finished with four earned runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and a HBP in four innings of work. Rylee McGonigle pitched three innings in relief, allowing 10 earned runs on 12 hits and three walks.
 
The Huskies hit five home runs, and Jasmin Estrada paced the offense with a 5-5 clip that included two homers, three RBI, and two runs. Raven Vanden Langenberg hit 3-5 with three runs, an RBI, and a homer at the top of the order, while No. 2 hitter Holly Weinberger went 3-4 with four RBI, three runs, a homer, and a double. Haley McFarlane hit 2-4 with two RBI, a run, and a walk, while Lydia Kureger went 3-5 with three RBI, a run, and a home run.
 
Kylie Thomsen started in the circle and went four innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Emma Eickhoff allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits and a walk with two strikeouts in an inning of relief. Lauren Kirchberg (4-1) earned the win after an inning of relief, allowing three unearned runs on two hits with a strikeout and a walk. Game one's starter, Trinity Junker, earned her first save of the season, allowing one earned run on two hits and a walk.
 
SCSU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning thanks to a solo shot from Jasmin Estrada. Abby Buckman and the Peacock defense stranded three Huskies on base after a trio of singles loaded the bases with one out.
 
After putting runners on the corners with no outs thanks to a hit-by-pitch, a wild pitch, and a single, the Huskies doubled their lead to 2-0 with a sacrifice fly before the UIU defense limited the damage and got out of the inning. 
 
After a 1-2-3 top of the fourth, Crogan hit a one-out single ahead of a two-run bomb from Brockman that knotted the score at two runs apiece. Samantha Jessie worked a walk in the ensuing at-bat, and a single from Wilcox compounded by a fielding error put two runners in scoring position. Jessie came home to score on a wild pitch before Bridgewater sent a shot to the right-field wall in the ensuing at-bat, missing a home run by about a yard but earning a sacrifice fly that flipped the script and put UIU ahead 4-2 through four.
 
A leadoff single in the fifth by Raven Vanden Langenberg followed by a home run from Holly Weinberger tied the game at 4-4 and brought McGonigle into the game to relieve Buckman. A single and a walk set the table for a three-run round-tripper that put St. Cloud State up 7-4, which is where the five-run, five-hit inning ended.
 
Frenette singled before scoring on a Sara Jessie RBI double in the ensuing at-bat, cutting the UIU deficit to 7-5. Crogan immediately closed the gap by crushing a no-doubt homer to left-field, tying the game at 7-7.
 
Buckman reentered the game for McGonigle in the top of the sixth, and two singles, a two-RBI double, and a two-run home run quickly made it an 11-7 ballgame as four runs came around on four hits before the inning's first out. Two flyouts were followed by a single and a walk, but a pop-out ended the inning.
 
Bridgewater led off the bottom of the sixth with a double ahead of a single from Charles, setting the table for the top of the UIU order with runners on the corners and no outs. Charles stole second, and Frenette picked up an RBI and reached on a fielding error to bring the tying run to the plate in an 11-8 game. After a pop-out, Fitzgerald reached on an identical fielding error and earned an RBI to cut the deficit to 11-9. Doing what she does best, Crogan bashed a three-run blast to center-field in the ensuing at-bat, emphatically putting the Peacocks ahead 12-11.
 
After committing two fielding errors in the bottom of the sixth, Vanden Langenberg atoned for her miscues with a one-out, game-tying home run that knotted the score at 12 runs apiece. A pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases full of Huskies with one out, and a two-RBI single through the left side from McFarlane gave SCSU a 14-12 advantage. The Peacocks turned a double play to get out of the inning and send it to the bottom of the seventh.
 
Charles led off the inning with a double to bring the tying run to the plate and an RBI single from Sar. Jessie, after a sacrifice bunt from Frenette, brought Charles home, cutting it to a 14-13 lead with the tying run on base. After a flyout, Crogan worked a walk to put the winning run on base, but a foul-out ended the game and clinched a 14-13 St. Cloud State victory.

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Up next, the Peacocks battle the Bulldogs at 12/2 p.m. on Saturday, Apr. 16, in a doubleheader at the Eischeid Softball Complex.