St. Cloud State
Upper Iowa University
Long ball leads Huskies to Friday sweep
4/15/2022 7:30:00 PM | Softball
St. Cloud State hits nine home runs over two games to defeat Upper Iowa
FAYETTE, IOWA – Friday was certainly not lacking offense for the St. Cloud State University softball team. The Huskies improved to 25-12 overall and 13-3 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) play on the back of a monster sweep of Upper Iowa. St. Cloud State scored a combined 25 runs in 14 innings and blasted a season-high eight home runs in the process en route to 11-6 and 14-13 wins in Fayette, Iowa.
GAME ONE: St. Cloud State (11) vs. Upper Iowa (6)
The Huskies and Peacocks both went out with a bang Friday afternoon, scoring a combined four runs in the first inning alone. Fortunately, it was St. Cloud State that secured the early lead, going up 3-0 in the top of the first thanks to RBI hits from Holly Weinberger (Waconia, Minn. / Waconia) and Sydney Trees (Prior Lake, Minn. / Prior Lake). Weinberger's RBI double scored Raven Vanden Langenberg (Seymour, Wis. / Seymour) before the junior first baseman scored on a two-run homer by Trees to give the Huskies a early 3-0 lead.
Upper Iowa responded by scoring a run in the bottom of the inning, so St. Cloud State went right ahead and scored another to make it 4-1 after two innings. It was Brooke Bowlin's (Chaska, Minn. / Holy Family) speed that regained a three-run advantage for the Huskies, as she stole second and eventually scored after a throwing error by the Peacock catcher. The three-run advantage didn't last very long. Upper Iowa tied the game in the bottom of the third with a three-run home run, making it 4-4 with four innings left to play.
It was Haley McFarlane (Swisher, Iowa / Cedar Rapids Prairie) who eventually regained the lead for St. Cloud State, again with the long ball. The fifth year senior blasted an opposite home run in the top of the fifth, scoring both Jasmin Estrada (Litchfield, Minn. / Litchfield) and Trees to give the Huskies a 7-4 advantage. That lead would hold until the seventh, when McFarlane and Gabrielle Nelson (Fargo, N.D. / West) both hit home runs in the top of the inning to put St. Cloud State ahead 11-4. While the Peacocks scored two in the bottom of the inning, it wasn't enough to catch the Huskies, as they took game one by final score of 11-6.
GAME TWO: St. Cloud State (14) vs. Upper Iowa (13)
To say a lot of runs were scored in game two would be a gross understatement. The tone for both the Huskies and Peacocks was set early, as Estrada kicked things off by hitting a deep solo shot to center field to give her team an early 1-0 lead. That was just a preview of what was to come. Over the course of seven innings, St. Cloud State and Upper Iowa hit a combined eight home runs and scored 27 runs en route to what may be the most offensive game in the NSIC this season. The game additionally featured four lead changes, as the neither the Huskies nor Peacocks could keep their opponent off the scoreboard.
After taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the third, St. Cloud State found it in a 4-2 deficit after four, as Upper Iowa tied and took the lead with a four-run fourth inning. The Huskies proceeded to score five runs of their own in the top of the fifth, using home runs from Weinberger and Lydia Krueger (Appleton, Wis. / North) to regain a 7-4 advantage. Naturally, the Peacocks tied it before St. Cloud State again took an 11-7 lead, this time on Estrada's second homer of the game.
The 11-7 lead would not hold, as Upper Iowa scored five runs on six hits in the bottom of the sixth, allowing the Peacocks to hold a 12-11 lead entering the seventh inning. Raven Vanden Langenberg (Seymour, Wis. / Seymour) wasted no time tying the game, as her solo blast made it 12-12, allowing McFarlane to give the Huskies a 14-12 lead four batters later with an RBI single. That 14-12 lead was enough for Trinity Junker (Lindstrom, Minn. / Chisago Lakes) who secured her second save of the season, allowing just one run in the 14-13 victory.
TOP HUSKIES
- Haley McFarlane (Swisher, Iowa / Cedar Rapids Prairie) went 2-4 at the plate in game one with two home runs, two runs and a team-leading four RBI, while Holly Weinberger (Waconia, Minn. / Waconia) went 3-4 with a run.
- Lauren Kirchberg (Columbus, Wis. / Columbus) earned the wins in both games one and two, improving to 4-1 this season.
- Jasmin Estrada (Litchfield, Minn. / Litchfield) was perfect at the plate in game two, going 5-5 with two runs, three RBI and a pair of home runs.
UP NEXT
St. Cloud State continues its road trip on Saturday, as the Huskies face Winona State at 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. in Winona, Minnesota.
