For Immediate Release
Sunday, May 1, 2016
NSIC Media Relations
Tournament Website
PDF Bracket
Photos Game 1 | Game 2

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Upper Iowa won the 2016 NSIC Softball Tournament after a 3-2 win in the "if necessary" game on Sunday afternoon at Bowden Park on the campus of Augustana University.  The Peacocks lost a 16 inning marathon game, 2-1 to Minnesota State in its first game of the day before picking up a 3-2 win in the rematch. The tournament was postponed on Saturday due to rain and then moved from Sherman Park to Bowden Field on Sunday.

In game one, Minnesota State’s Coley Ries, the NSIC Pitcher of the Year, went all 16 innings, giving up one run on seven hits while striking out 22 of the 58 batters faced. Ries' dominance on the mound held the Peacocks scoreless for the last 11 innings of the game until, finally, in the bottom of the 16th, teammate Ashley Thell lead off with a double to left and would eventually score after Jess Meidl reached on a fielding error.

In game two, the Peacocks used runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings to knock off Minnesota State for the second time in the last three games. 

In the third inning Jacqueline Flood singled in Riley Kruel to put the Peacocks up 1-0.  Upper Iowa went up 2-0 in the top of the fourth after Tara Walls homered to left field.  The Mavericks answered with a run in the fourth, but UIU countered in the top of the sixth as Flood was hit by a pitch and advanced to third before Duran singled to second base to score Flood and extend the Peacock lead to 3-1. 

MSU was able to score a run in the sixth to make it 3-2, but Flood came in for the final 1.2 innings to pick up the save, which included two strikeouts in the bottom of the seventh.  Brooke Redmond picked up the win by going 5.1 innings, giving up two runs on five hits. 

Upper Iowa earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Central Region Tournament, played May 6-8 followed by the NCAA Super Region played May 13-14 on a campus to be determined. The NCAA Championships are set for May 18-21 at Regency Athletic Complex in Denver, Colorado in conjunction with NCAA Spring Championship Festival. The NCAA DII Softball Selection Show is set to air via webcast on NCAA.com on Monday, May 2 at 9 a.m.
   

6	Brooke Redmond	UIU	P	Sr.	L/L	Basehor, Kan.
1	Coley Ries	MSU	P	Jr.	R/R	Eagle Lake, Minn.
3	Natalie Wright	UMD	IF	So.	L/R	Wyoming, Minn.
9	Becky Smith	UMD	IF	So.	R/R	Long Lake, Minn.
16	Karmann Carroll	SMSU	SS	Jr.	R/R	Bloomington, Minn.
7	Tatum Klein	MSU	OF	Sr.	L/L	Iowa City, Iowa
42	Maggie Kadrlik	Augie	C/OF	So.	R/R	Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
1	Sammy Garrett	UIU	OF	R-So.	R/R	Ottumwa, Iowa
20	Jess Meidl	MSU	OF	So.	L/R	Lakeville, Minn.
6	Jessica Burlingame	BSU	OF	Fr.	L/L	Andover, Minn.
4	McKenzie Paap	MSU	OF	Fr.	L/R	Excelsior, Minn.