Wayne State was limited to just five hits by a trio of Upper Iowa pitchers as the Peacocks recorded 7-0 and 9-3 wins over the Wildcats Tuesday in a Northern Sun Conference softball doubleheader at Fayette, Iowa.
The opener saw Upper Iowa’s Emily Kisch fire a two-hit shutout on the Wildcats as the Peacocks struck for five runs in the first inning to take control early and then added two more runs in the fourth.
Wayne State’s two hits were a fourth-inning single by Alyx Hagen and a sixth-inning single from Katelyn Wobken. Freshman starter Maddie Moser suffered the pitching loss, working three innings and charged with five runs on six hits. Junior reliever Alyx Hagen also pitched three innings and yielding two unearned runs on five hits.
The second game saw Wayne State mount a sixth-inning rally to get within one run, but the host Peacocks erupted for five insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth to complete the sweep.
Upper Iowa led 4-0 after five and Wayne State had just one hit entering the top of the sixth, but the Wildcats used a walk, two hit batters and a pair of hits to produce three runs in the sixth and cut the Peacock advantage to 4-3.
A walk to Baylee Rial, single by Emily Chandler and Raquel Penke hit by a pitch loaded the bases with just one out in the sixth. After Rachel Shumaker popped to shortstop, Abbie Hix was hit by a pitch to bring in the first run followed by a two-run single from Taylor Menard.
That was as close as the Wildcats would get, though, as Upper Iowa regained momentum with five insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth to fend off the Wildcats.
Menard had a two-run single to lead WSC at the plate while Hix and Chandler each singled. Junior starter Riley Vanderveen was tagged with the pitching loss, charged with nine runs (seven earned) on eight hits with one strikeout and four walks.
Wayne State (11-24, 5-11 NSIC) is scheduled to host Minnesota Crookston Saturday at 1 p.m. and Bemidji State Sunday at 12 p.m., pending weather and field conditions, at the Chapman Complex in Wayne.
