University of Northern Iowa
Bradley
Panthers Best Braves on Gerking's Late Heroics
4/20/2011 8:00:00 AM | Softball
April 20, 2011
The Northern Iowa softball team headed to Peoria, Illinois Wednesday for a mid-week tilt with the Bradley Braves. The Panthers looked to get back on track after being swept this past weekend by Drake.
NORTHERN IOWA 2 BRADLEY 1 (9)
The Panthers loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the second but were unable to score a run, as they stranded three runners.
Northern Iowa broke through in the top of the third inning. Hannah Borschel was hit by a pitch to start the inning and stole second. Courtney Dunker drew a one-out walk ahead of Eranne Daugharthy. Daugharthy turned on the Madeline Lynch-Crumrine offering; as she lined a double to left that brought home Borschel and made the score 1-0 in favor of UNI.
Bradley was able to tie the game at one in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a Kate Singler solo home run.
UNI threatened again in the top of the sixth. Jaye Hutcheson and Olivia Aten had back-to-back singles with one out. Both Hutcheson and Aten advanced on a passed to put runners at second and third. Mackenzie Daigh then reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases. The Panthers would fail to convert the bases loaded opportunity for the second time in the game, as they stranded all three runners.
Neither team was able to score after the fourth, as the game went into extra innings. Bradley threatened to end the game in the bottom of the eighth, putting runners at second and third, but Jamie Fisher was able to escape the jam with a strikeout.
Northern Iowa would finally break through in the top of the ninth. Rachel Gerking took the Lynch-Crumrine offering and hammered a solo home run to center to put the Panthers on top 2-1.
Jamie Fisher shut down the Braves in the bottom of the ninth to give Northern Iowa a thrilling extra inning win. Fisher pitched a complete game; allowing only one earned run, while striking out 12 Bradley hitters to earn her 15th win of the season.
With the win, UNI improves to 24-21 (8-8) on the season. The Panthers return this weekend for a three game series with Creighton.
