Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box
FAYETTE, Iowa — The Southwest Minnesota State softball team suffered a sweep to the hands of Upper Iowa in the final games of the regular season. The Peacocks won game one 8-0 and game two 13-3 on Sunday afternoon at the Eischeid Softball Complex.
Southwest Minnesota State concluded the regular season with a 25-27 overall record and 14-16 in the NSIC, while also finishing 10th in the Northern Sun Intercollege Conference to earn a bid to the NSIC / US Bank Tournament for the first time since the 2011 season.
Upper Iowa finished the season 23-28 overall and 18-12 in the NSIC to finished fifth in the conference.
In game one, the Peacocks attacked first in the bottom of the opening frame after scoring three runs to take an early 3-0 lead.
UIU scored again in the fourth and blasted a pair of homers in the fifth to push the lead to 7-0 going into the sixth. Upper Iowa added an insurance run in the sixth after a double to right field to end the game by the run-rule 8-0.
Alex O'Connor (17-16) suffered the loss after pitching 5 1/3 innings, giving up nine hits and eight runs (seven earned) while striking out 10 batters.
Madisson Chadwick led the Mustangs going 2 for 3 from the plate, while
Katelyn Kalkman,
Jazmyne Neely,
Karmann Carroll and
Taylor Koloc all recorded a hit.
In game two, the Peacocks didn't miss a step as they scored six runs in the bottom of the first to take an early 6-0 lead.
Carroll hit a homer to left field—her second of the season—in the top of the second to put the Mustangs on the board.
UIU answered with a pair of homers in the second inning to push the lead to 9-1.
In the third inning, Chadwick singled to left field to score
Erica Downing but then got caught stealing and scored
Alysse Luttmann during a rundown.
The Peacocks added four runs in the bottom of the third to finish the game 13-3 and win by the run-rule after five innings.
Erin McDurmont (6-5) suffered the loss after hurling 2 2/3 innings and giving up seven hits and 13 runs (nine earned) while striking out one and walking five batters. Chadwick came in and pitched the last 1 1/3 innings and struck out and walked one batter.
Carroll finished going 1 for 2 with a run scored and an RBI in the loss. Chadwick finished 1 for 2 with an RBI while Kalkman pushed her hitting streak to 13—longest of the season— after finishing 1 for 2 from the dish.
Southwest Minnesota State will most likely play No. 7 seed Minnesota Duluth (33-20, 17-13 NSIC) in the first round of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference / US Bank softball tournament that will be held in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Thursday, April 30 at 10 a.m.
Follow @smsumustangs on Twitter and smsumustangs.com for more information as it becomes available.
