Nearly two weeks after the UNI softball team beat Iowa State University 9-0, the Panthers finally returned back home.
The two-week road trip, which featured five straight losses, was gruesome for UNI. The Panthers got back on track April 15 with a 6-0 win in the UNI-Dome in game two of their doubleheader with the Drake University Bulldogs.
In the victory over Drake, Gina Brown and Julia Hunter provided all the RBIs for UNI with two three-run homers each in the bottom of the second inning. Chelsea Ross put together a dominant pitching performance that included eight strikeouts while only giving up one hit.
The high-powered offensive victory over the Bulldogs was simply a preview of Friday when the Panthers moved back outdoors for a doubleheader with the Missouri State Bears.
The Panthers took the diamond wearing pink jerseys in support of the American Cancer Society. In the first game, Jamie Fisher took the pitchers circle and showed good composure on the mound, pitching four of the games five innings and only allowing three hits.
We played relaxed and just scored runs, so we just got to be relaxed and have fun out there, Fisher said. We just need to keep playing like we did today. Its definitely a confidence booster.
Five UNI hitters had multiple hits, while Rikki Alcaraz went 3-3 in the first game and hit two three-run home runs for the Panthers. Alcaraz is hitting a team-leading .325 batting average this season.
It felt great just to go out there and connect well and just get a good lead for us, Alcaraz said. We were struggling for a little bit, but to come back out today and take it to them meant a lot for us.
The follow-up match featured a lot of the same for the Panthers.
Ross took the mound and extended her winning streak to two, striking out five Bears and allowing three hits in a five-inning 9-1 victory.
UNI once again saw an early explosion from their bats as Micalla Rettinger struck a grand slam to get things started for UNI. She also ended the game with a solo homer, forcing the eight-run rule in the bottom of the fifth inning.
On Saturday, the Panthers dropped a tough 6-5 decision to the Bears but still won the overall series two games to one.
The game included two homers from Alcaraz and Alysaa Buchanan for UNI.
After the weekend series, UNI is 24-15 overall and 11-8 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Panthers head to the states capital Wednesday for a match-up with Drake University.
