UNI softball splits games in opening day of Razorback Rumble

Friday, March 8

Fayetteville, Ark.

9 a.m.

University of Northern Iowa

9-7

Nebraska

9-10

Nebraska

Northern Iowa

UNI softball at 2024 Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic | Feb. 9-11, 2024 (Cedar Falls, Iowa)

UNI softball splits games in opening day of Razorback Rumble

3/8/2024 2:49:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 FINAL RESULTS (Nebraska)FINAL RESULTS (South Alabama)

Panthers fall to Nebraska before downing South Alabama 7-2

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas --- UNI softball snapped a three-game losing streak on Friday afternoon as the team opened up play in the Arkansas Razorback Rumble. The Panthers' losing streak stretched to three games in their opening game of the event, a 13-3 loss to Nebraska, before UNI rebounded with a 7-2 victory over South Alabama.

Friday's split improved the Panthers' record to 10-7.

Game 1 | UNI 3 - UNL 13 (F/6)

Friday's action was pushed up by an hour due to forecasted inclement weather in the Fayetteville area, and the Panthers opened play at the Razorback Rumble with a loss against the Huskers.

The Panthers got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning after Kylee Sanders and Alexis Pupillo recorded back-to-back walks. With one out and Sanders and Pupillo on base, Addison McElrath reached on an error by Nebraska's shortstop. The ball rolled into center field and Sanders broke for home, but Nebraska center fielder Brooke Andrews fired a strike home and Sanders was tagged out.

With two outs in the inning, Kate Lappe drove home Pupillo to open the scoring, and Taylor Hogan then lined out to end the inning.

Nebraska retook the lead in the top of the second, a lead it ultimately wouldn't relinquish for the remainder of the contest. Sydney Gray led off the inning with a solo home run, and a two-run blast from Ava Bredwell two batters later gave the Huskers a 3-1 lead. Bredwell's home run led to the removal of Samantha Heyer from the contest, and Maddy McDermott finished the game for the Panthers in the circle.

Daryn Lamprecht drove home Faith Standerski with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second to cut Nebraska's lead to 3-2, but the Huskers quickly blew the game open from there. A two-run, two-out double from Katelyn Caneda gave the Huskers a 6-2 lead in the top of the third, and Nebraska tacked on two more runs in the top of the fourth.

Lamprecht blasted her second home run of the 2024 season in the bottom of the fourth, a solo blast that cut Nebraska's lead to 8-3, but that marked the final run of the contest for the Panthers.

After a quiet fifth inning, Nebraska scored five runs in the top of the sixth to make it a 13-3 contest. The Panthers did not score in the bottom of the frame, and the contest ended due to the run rule.

Game 2 | UNI 7 - South Alabama 2

The Panthers bounced back in their second game of the day, which took place immediately after the Nebraska loss. The contest marked a rubber match against South Alabama, who the Panthers split games against last weekend at the T-Mobile Crimson Classic.

Stellar pitching from Anna Wischnowski and a timely offensive explosion from the Panthers ensured that UNI would take the decisive third meeting between the sides in 2024.

Like Friday's first game against Nebraska, the Panthers struck early. Sanders led off the game with a single to right field and advanced two bases on an error from South Alabama's right fielder. Pupillo promptly doubled Sanders home and, after two outs, Lappe knocked a two-out double to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead.

Wischnowski largely avoided trouble through two innings, but the Jaguars got on the board in the bottom of the third. With runners at the corners and two outs, the Jaguars scored a runner after an errant throw to second base by Savanna Jemilo. Wischnowski forced a lineout to end the inning.

The Panthers maintained their one-run lead through four innings. In the top of the fifth, Pupillo blasted her team-high seventh home run of the season over the right field fence to give the Panthers a 3-1 lead. The Jaguars quickly pulled that run back with a solo home run in the bottom of the frame, though.

South Alabama had two runners on with two outs in the bottom of the fifth following Shelby Garrett's leadoff home run, but Wischnowski struck out Gabby Stagner to end the inning.

In the top of the sixth, Ava Smithson produced her first signature moment as a Panther. With one out in the inning and facing reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year Olivia Lackie, Smithson sent an 0-1 offering to left center field and over the fence for a home run. The solo blast marked not only Smithson's first home run as a member of the Panthers, but also her first hit at the Division I level. Prior to Friday afternoon's contest, Smithson had received just three at-bats in 2024.

UNI added more insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Madison Parks gave the Panthers a 5-2 lead with a sacrifice lineout to right field, and McElrath gave the Panthers a 6-2 lead with an RBI double during the Panthers' next at-bat. Hogan rounded out the Panthers' scoring with an RBI single that scored Gretta Hartz.

Wischnowski worked around a leadoff double in the bottom of the seventh and secured her second complete game in her last three starts. Wischnowski now has three career complete games, all of which have come in her last five appearances for the Panthers.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Friday morning's relief appearance marked the longest appearance of McDermott's collegiate career. She pitched 4.2 innings against the Huskers, which surpassed her previous career high of 4.0 innings pitched on Feb. 10 against Omaha.
Lamprecht now has two multi-RBI performances this season following Friday morning's game against Nebraska. Additionally, Lamprecht recorded her first multi-hit performance of the season against the Huskers.
Paige Peterson recorded the second hit of her collegiate career and her first hit since the season opener against Western Illinois on Friday morning against Nebraska. Peterson recorded a single in the bottom of the second, the first single of her collegiate career.
Friday was a day of firsts for Smithson. She recorded the first walk of her Panther career on Friday morning against Nebraska then, against South Alabama, started in right field for the first time as a Panther. It marked her second career UNI start, with the first coming at catcher on Feb. 10 against Omaha.
Smithson then recorded the first hit of her Panther career, which was a home run in the top of the sixth that gave the Panthers a 4-2 lead.
Friday's win against the Jaguars marked win No. 1,399 in Panther softball history.
Lappe was the lone Panther to record an RBI in both contests, and has now recorded an RBI in three of her last four games. Lappe has recorded an RBI in consecutive contests for the second time in 2024 after not having done so in 2023, and has never recorded an RBI in three consecutive games.
Wischnowski now has three career complete games at the collegiate level.
Seven runs against the Jaguars marked the Panthers' highest offensive output since Feb. 25.
Pupillo hit her team-high seventh home run on Friday afternoon, which marked her first blast since Feb. 24.

UP NEXT

The Panthers continue play at the Arkansas Razorback Rumble tomorrow with a pair of games. UNI faces Saint Francis University for just the second time in program history on Saturday at 2:30 p.m., then closes the day at 4:45 p.m. against No. 20 Arkansas.

Saturday afternoon's game against the Razorbacks will be televised on SEC Network+.