University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
27-12, 6-5
Bradley
13-20, 7-5
Panthers Score Most Runs Since 1998, Down BU 16-6
4/10/2016 3:08:00 PM | Softball
PEORIA, Ill. – The University of Northern Iowa softball team racked up season-highs with 16 runs and 19 hits on their way to a series-winning 16-6 victory over Bradley in five innings on a rainy Sunday afternoon. The Panthers (27-12, 6-5 MVC) scored the most runs under Head Coach Ryan Jacobs and the most since 1998 when UNI defeated Tennessee-Martin 21-3. Five different Panthers had multi-RBIs in the win.
Chelsea Ross opened the scoring in the first inning with a three-run shot to center field to bring home Bailey Lange and Micalla Rettinger and put UNI ahead 3-0. The homerun marked Ross' team-leading seventh long ball of the season. After Caitlin Wnek grabbed her team-leading 12th double, Bradley made a subsequent pitching change with no outs in the inning. Courtney Krodinger hit her first collegiate homerun later in the inning, a two-run shot to left field to put the Panthers up five.
Rettinger sent down a squeeze bunt in the second inning to bring home Samantha Olson after a single from the senior and Lange to extend the lead to six. With two down in the inning, Wnek hammered her fourth homerun of the year over the wall in left-center field to score Rettinger. Brittany Krodinger followed with two-RBI of her own, finding the gap in right field to put UNI ahead 10-0.
After allowing a run to the Braves in the second inning, UNI answered to extend their lead back to 10 on a Courtney Krodinger RBI single, her third hit and RBI of the morning.
Bradley cut the lead once again in the third due in part of an Alyson Clemente two-run homerun to cut the Panther lead to seven. The Braves would tack on two more in the following inning after a two hour and fifth minute rain delay to bring the score to 11-6.
The Panthers answered with four straight doubles and three straight RBI doubles to open the fifth inning as Rettinger grabbed her third hit and second RBI of the day in the fifth with one to the gap in right-center to start the trend. Ross followed with one of her own to give her 35 RBIs before Wnek following suit. Wnek finished a perfect 3-3 at the plate with three RBI and two doubles.
Kennedy Bailey recorded a one-out RBI double to extend UNI's lead back to 10 once again, 16-6.
UNI will take a break from Missouri Valley Conference play on Tuesday when they travel to Iowa City to take on in-state rival Iowa at 4 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ross, Chelsea (12-5)
L: Kestas (4-10)
Batting:
2B: Lock, Kristin 1 ; Rettinger, Micalla 1 ; Ross, Chelsea 1 ; Wnek, Caitlin 2 ; Bailey, Kennedy 1
HR: Ross, Chelsea 1 ; Wnek, Caitlin 1 ; Krodinger, Courtney 1
RBI: Rettinger, Micalla 2 ; Ross, Chelsea 4 ; Wnek, Caitlin 3 ; Krodinger, Courtney 3 ; Bailey, Kennedy 1 ; Krodinger, Brittney 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Lange, Bailey 1 ; Lock, Kristin 1 ; Rettinger, Micalla 3 ; Ross, Chelsea 2 ; Nicholson, Samantha 1 ; Wnek, Caitlin 3 ; Buchanan, Alyssa 2 ; Krodinger, Courtney 2 ; Olson, Samantha 1
SB: Wnek, Caitlin 1 ; Buchanan, Alyssa 1 ; Olson, Samantha 1
HBP: Ross, Chelsea 1
Batting:
2B: Huggins 1
HR: Clemente 1
RBI: Leonard 3 ; Clemente 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Kapp 1 ; Hansen 1 ; Clemente 1 ; Hunter 1 ; Duffy 1 ; Stoner 1
SB: Kapp 1
