The University of Northern Iowa softball team honored former center-fielder Micalla Rettinger with a moment of silence before they faced their in-state rivals, the Iowa Hawkeyes, in their final home game of the season. Rettenger died early Sunday, April 28.

From the first pitch, Jaclyn Spencer was consistent, pitching for seven straight innings. Spencer had a towering total of ten strikeouts and only walked one batter. The Hawkeyes were only able to score one run in the first inning against Spencer.

Offensively, Brittney Krodinger put the first run on the scoreboard, hitting a homerun to tie the game at the bottom of the first. The bulk of the Panthers offense came during the fourth inning.

The purple and gold scored three straight runs following Courtney Krodinger’s double that brought in right fielder Olivia Brooks.

Spencer blasted a two-run home run to center field to help the Panthers seal the deal against the Hawkeyes with a 4-1 lead. The Hawkeyes were only able to score one more run in the sixth inning, leading to the Panthers breaking a four-game losing streak and defeating the Hawkeyes by a final score of 4-2.

Up next, the Panthers will travel to Chicago to take on Loyola in a three-game series on Saturday and Sunday, May 4 and 5.