The University of Northern Iowa softball team added another three-game sweep to their r?sum? over the weekend and extended their winning streak to 15 in a row, their longest winning streak as a Division-I program.
The Panthers are three wins shy of tying the all-time school record of 18 consecutive victories, a feat accomplished in 1977 when the team was still a member of the AIAW (Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women).
We havent really focused on (the winning streak). Weve been talking a lot about playing fearless and playing with faith — faith in yourself and faith in your teammates, said Jacobs. Theyre not worried about whats coming up, but just taking care of whats right in front of us.
The Panthers (28-9, 12-0 MVC) opened their weekend series against the Drake University Bulldogs with a doubleheader on Friday afternoon. UNI sent sophomore standout Jamie Fisher to the pitching circle for game one of the series. Fisher dominated the Bulldogs from start to finish, striking out 12 batters, while allowing just five hits and one run in a complete game.
The Panther offense was just as sharp, pushing across five runs in game one. Senior shortstop Mackenzie Daigh jump-started the UNI offense with a solo home run in the bottom of the third inning to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. UNI scored a pair of runs in the fourth and fifth innings as well to push their lead to 5-0. Senior Whitney Plein and junior Samantha Reimer led the Panther offense, each recording two RBIs on the day. Daigh finished 2-for-3 with one RBI as well.
In game two, senior Jaye Hutcheson toed the rubber for what turned out to be a pitchers duel. Hutcheson did a stellar job keeping the Panthers in the game, despite a sluggish offensive performance by the Panthers. Hutcheson picked up her 11th victory of the year after throwing a complete game two-hitter in which she struck out seven Bulldogs while allowing just two runs.
Drake found the scoreboard first with a run in the top of the third inning. The Panthers answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the fourth following a Courtney Dunker sacrifice fly to make the score 1-1.
Senior outfielder Hannah Borschel hit an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning to give the Panthers a brief 2-1 lead. However, the Bulldogs answered in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 2-2.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Julia Hunter got the Panther offense started with a single up the middle. Daigh followed with a sacrifice bunt that moved Hunter into scoring position with one out. After a Laura Turner strikeout, Hunter advanced to third base on a wild pitch. The Bulldogs intentionally walked Hannah Borschel, who then stole second base to put Panthers on second and third with two outs and Gina Brown at the plate. Brown came through in the clutch, with a walk-off RBI single.
One through 21 on our roster, theyre all doing it, whether theyre starters or they have an important role coming off the bench, said UNI head coach Ryan Jacobs. Theyre doing a great job in practice which is preparing us for the weekends and theyre just working really hard and taking a lot of pride in what they do.
UNI capped their three-game sweep of the Bulldogs with an 11-2 victory on Saturday afternoon. Fisher was sharp once again, holding Drake to just six hits and two runs while striking out four batters in a complete game victory. Fisher is now 13-1 on the year with a 1.67 ERA (earned run average).
Offensively, the Panthers had no problem putting up runs. Daigh, Borschel and Turner each scored a run in the bottom of the first inning to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead. Daigh and Borschel each followed up with a run in the second inning to extend the UNI lead to 5-0 after two innings of play.
The Panthers continued to score at will, holding a 9-2 lead entering the bottom of the fifth inning. At that time, they needed just one run to end the game. Melissa Walls reached base after drawing a walk and Hunter followed that up with a two-run home run to seal the UNI victory.
UNI currently sits atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings with an unblemished 12-0 conference record. The Panthers currently hold a three-game lead over Creighton University and Southern Illinois University with 15 MVC games remaining on their schedule, including a three-game series against both CU and SIU.
The Panthers will place their 15-game winning streak on the line Wednesday afternoon when they travel south to play a nonconference game against the No. 11-ranked University of Missouri Tigers.
