Panther softball opens the 2026 campaign with a win

Friday, February 6

Cedar Falls, Iowa

3 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

1-0

Kansas City

0-1

Kansas City

Northern Iowa

Photo by: © Andy Saigh

Panther softball opens the 2026 campaign with a win

2/6/2026 5:58:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Final Stats

UNI defeats Kansas City, 6-1, to open the 2026 season.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The Panther softball team opened the 2026 season with the Doc Halverson Classic on Friday afternoon. The Cats took on the Kansas City Roos and came out with a 6-1 victory which included a pair of Panther home runs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Two and a half scoreless innings gave way to a barrage of runs from the Cats as newcomer Peyton Johnson notched the first RBIs of the season with a three-run home run to right center. Johnson's home run drove in Paige Peterson and Skylar Benesh, both on base because of singles earlier in the inning. A fielder's choice saw Lappe cross the plate and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Ella Smithson drove in Adalyn Reynolds to give UNI a 5-0 lead after the bottom half of the third frame.

Kansas City scored an unearned run in the top of the fourth inning before Kate Lappe answered with her first home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth inning.

BY THE NUMBERS

Anna Wischnowski tabbed the 20th complete game of her career with three strikeouts. Peyton Johnson and Kate Lappe each recorded home runs. Lappe crossed the plate twice and Johnson finished with three RBIs.

UP NEXT

The Cats continue Doc Halverson action on Saturday with matchups against Omaha and Butler. UNI's contest against Omaha at 4:30 p.m. CT will not be streamed, but the Panthers' matchup with Butler, slated to begin at 7 p.m. CT, will be available on ESPN+.

UNI softball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Softball), X (@UNISoftball), and on Instagram (@unisoftball). The 2026 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.