University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Iowa
UNI Softball Falls to No. 24 Iowa, 5-3
4/21/2009 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 21, 2009
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The UNI softball team jumped out to an early 3-1 lead over the No. 24 Iowa Hawkeyes in the Panthers final home game of the regular season, but a four-run fifth inning lifted the Hawkeyes past the Panthers, 5-3. The Hawkeyes have now five straight meetings against the Panthers and improve to 36-11 on the season, while the Panthers fall to 30-17.
Hawkeye senior Brittney Weil (20-7) pitched the final four innings of play to earn the win. Weil struck out six batters, allowed one hit and walked one. UNI junior Jen Larsen (17-9) took the loss after allowing nine hits and five runs in five complete innings. UNI freshman Jaye Hutcheson came in to pitch the final two innings and retired six straight batters in her relief effort. Hutcheson struck out three of the six batters she faced.
The Panthers cracked the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first inning after Larsen's RBI groundout drove in junior Megan Machovec to give the Panthers an early 1-0 lead. Machovec started off the inning with a lead off double and freshman Mackenzie Daigh slapped a sacrifice groundout to advance Machovec to third.
Larsen then managed to get herself out of a bases loaded jam after she retired three straight batters to get out of the top of the second inning with no damage done on the scoreboard.
The Hawkeyes scored their first run of the game in top of the third inning after Colleen McGlaughlin launched a solo shot over the right field fence knot the score at 1-1. The homer was McGlaughlin's seventh of the year.
UNI's single-season RBI leader junior Rachel Gerking's came through with a two-RBI double to right field in the top of the third inning to push the Panthers back in front, 3-1. The two runs driven in by Gerking upped her single season total to 48 RBI. Prior to Gerking's at-bat, Daigh reached base after being hit by a pitch and Larsen walked to move runners to first and second with two outs.
The Hawkeyes took their first lead of the contest in the top of the fifth inning after Liz Watkins launched a three-run homer over the right field fence. The Hawkeyes added their fourth run of the inning after Erin Rimersma's RBI double to right field extended the Iowa lead to the final margin, 5-3.
The Panthers responded by loading the bases in the bottom of the fifth inning with no outs after Hannah Borschel's infield single, and a Hawkeye error on Megan Machovec's sacrifice bunt place runners on first and second. Daigh then walked to load the bases, but three straight Panther strikeouts halted UNI's scoring chances.
Neither team was able to scatter a hit in the final two innings of play as Machovec was the only base runner in the final two innings after a Hawkeye fielding error.
Notes: Junior Rachel Gerking drove in her school record 48th RBI of the season…UNI is 2-5 against ranked teams this season…Iowa leads the all-time series 26-21…Freshman Jaye Hutcheson struck out three batters in a game for the fourth time this season…The Hawkeyes out-hit the Panthers, 9-3.
Up Next: The Panthers will head to Lincoln, Neb., tomorrow to play a doubleheader against the Nebraska Cornhuskers with the first game starting at 3 p.m. The Panthers fell to the Huskers earlier in the season at the Ramada UNI-Dome Classic, 2-1, on Feb. 8. The Panthers spilt a doubleheader with the Huskers last season in Lincoln and snapped Nebraska's 44-game non-conference home winning streak last year. The Huskers are 30-13 on the year.
