FAYETTE, Iowa — The Southwest Minnesota State softball team (11-18 overall, 3-3 NSIC) would use an offensive bombardment to sweep Upper Iowa University (10-13, 1-2) 14-6 and 8-6 on Monday afternoon at the Eischeid Softball Complex in Fayette, Iowa.

The Mustangs would pour on 16 hits in game one, as Bailey Johnson, Jillian Noel, and Lileya Kebos each have three hit games, and Noel and Molly Bull each drive in four runs to lead the way offensively.

After the first two Mustangs would get out, Johnson would pick up the first hit of the day with a single to right. This would open the offensive onslaught for SMSU, as a Noel single, Bull RBI single, and Kebos RBI single would help the Mustangs strike first at 2-0.

After a shutdown bottom of the first, the SMSU bats would continue to connect, as singles from Makenna Waldow and Abby Russell would be followed by an Emily Tatur RBI single, and Noel two-run single to jump out to a 5-0 lead. After Bull reached on an error, Kebos would drive a single to center to bring in a pair and Patia Wolfe would double down the left field line to score Kebos and take an 8-0 lead after an inning and a half.

UIU would score in the bottom of the second to go down 8-1, but the Mustangs would keep the hit parade rolling. After singles from Russell and Johnson and a two-out walk of Noel to load the bases, Bull would bring all three home with a double to center, and Kebos would bring her home with a single to give SMSU a 12-1 advantage.

UIU would chip away in the fourth, scoring five runs with two-outs and bringing their deficit within six at 12-6, but Noel would cap off her offensive outburst in game one with a two-run homer to drive in Johnson and give SMSU a 14-6 advantage that would lead to a shortened game.

Shelby Bloemendaal (6-5) would go five innings, giving up six runs (five earned) on nine hits, a walk, and a hit batter while striking out one en route to the victory.

The offense looked to continue its barrage in game two, as Russell and Tatur opened the game with back-to-back doubles, but the Mustangs would be unable to push a second run across before UIU would score a run in the bottom of the first frame to tie the score at 1-1.

After a Kebos leadoff triple in the second, Wolfe would deliver an RBI single up the middle, and after getting to second base with two outs, Russell would send a single out to right center to grow the lead to 3-1.

The Mustangs would score four more in the third, as a Tatur single, Johnson single, Noel RBI double, Bull RBI single, and back-to-back RBI groundouts from Kebos and Wolfe would give SMSU a 7-1 lead.

UIU would come scorching back in the bottom of the third, as a three-run and two-run home run would bring the Peacocks within a run at 7-6.

Karlie Miller (4-8) would go 4 1/3 innings in the win, giving up six earned runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out three before giving the ball to Allison Christians with a pair of runners on and one out.

Christians would retire both batters she would face in the fifth to keep the 7-6 lead, and would escape her own jam in the sixth with runners on first and second to hold the score.

SMSU would add an insurance run in the top of the seventh, as Waldow would deliver a two-out RBI single to score Bull and give Christians an 8-6 lead, and Christians would shut the door by retiring the side in the seventh for the save.

The Mustangs would out-hit the Peacocks 14-9 in the second game, with Tatur going 3 for 3 and Waldow and Russell adding two hits apiece to lead the way.

SMSU returns to the diamond on Wednesday, taking on Minnesota State at the MSU Dome as the home team in a conference doubleheader starting at 11 a.m.

— Content courtesy

of SMSU Athletic

Communications