Due to troubles with the turf in the UNI-Dome, the University of Northern Iowa softball team was forced to play the Ramada UNI-Dome Classic in Ames last weekend. The Panthers recorded a 3-2 record behind the strong pitching of sophomore Jamie Fisher, who won three games in three starts.
Fisher pitched a total of 19 innings, allowing only three runs while striking out 20 batters throughout the weekend.
Game one of the five-game weekend ended in a 6-0 victory over Valparaiso University. Fisher highlighted the Panther pitching with a complete game shutout, giving up only two hits and striking out eight batters in the process. UNI second baseman Haley Kreiner went 2-for-3, accounting for all six Panther runs with four RBIs and two runs scored to lead the Panther offense.
UNI tried to stay hot as they took the field against the University of North Dakota just minutes after game one. After falling into an early 1-0 hole, the Panthers battled back to keep the game close. In the bottom of the seventh inning, UNI rallied for two runs to send the game into extra innings, but a couple of errors in the top of the ninth inning led to four runs for UND. The Panthers could not rally in the bottom of the inning, falling 8-4. Senior Jaye Hutcheson pitched all nine innings for UNI.
The Panthers bounced back by defeating the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay 9-1 in just five innings of action. Fisher had another strong outing, giving up just one run while striking out five batters in five innings of work.
UNI finished the weekend with a Sunday doubleheader against the University of Nebraska-Omaha and Western Illinois University. The Panthers took a 2-1 lead heading into the fifth inning before UNI senior Laura Turner knocked in another run to make the score 3-1. Fischer gave up one run in the top of the seventh, but held on to give UNI the 3-2 victory over UN-Omaha. In total, Fisher gave up two runs on five hits, but struck out seven batters in seven innings on the mound.
The last game of the weekend saw UNI sophomore Jessica Severinsen picking up her first start of the season. Severinsen pitched a strong seven innings, but a lack of run support left the Panthers with a 4-1 loss against WIU. The lone UNI run came from the bat of Aly Zembruski, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI.
UNI left a total of 17 runners on base throughout the weekend, but hit for a .288 batting average as a team.
The Panthers return to action Feb. 24 in the University of Memphis Tiger Invitational in Memphis, Tenn.
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