March 19, 2005

Box Score

PANTHERS SPLIT DOUBLEHEADER WITH BEARS

Springfield, MO-- The University of Northern Iowa softball team split the opening two games of a three-game set with Southwest Missouri State, Saturday, dropping the first game 4-1, but taking the nightcap 4-2. A grand slam by senior Melissa King captured the victory for the Panthers in game two.

UNI opened the doubleheader with a heartbreaking 4-1 loss. The contest was a pitchers' duel between UNI's Uju Ibekwe and Bear pitcher Shannon Buslepp for the first five innings, with both pitchers refusing to give an inch, or a run, to the opposing team. Freshman Jamie Kelling brought the stalemate to a halt with a solo home run in the fifth to put the Panthers up 1-0. Ibekwe charged on until the bottom of the seventh when the Bears took the game with a three-run homer by Buslepp after tying it just moments before.

Kelling turned in another solid game at the plate, finishing 2-4 with a home run. Tracy Davis added two hits in the loss.

Ibekwe went the distance but fell short in the final frame. The Junior threw 6.2 innings, allowing four runs on five hits while striking out seven. Her record now stands at 4-5.

The nightcap would prove to be a more positive experience for the Panthers, with the dramatic home run coming from their side of the field this time. The Panther offense was kept quiet by SMS hurler Samantha Fleeman until the sixth inning. The Bears took the lead in the top of the sixth with a single run, but were utterly upstaged in the bottom half of the frame when King sent Fleeman's offering skyward for a grand slam and a three-run Panther advantage. SMS rallied for a run in the seventh, but freshman Liz Adams stifled any hope of a comeback with a game ending strikeout.

No Panther had more than one hit, but one hit was all King needed to catapult UNI to victory. The senior finished with all four RBIs and a run scored. Davis, Stephanie Aguero and Mandy Kumamoto scored the remaining three runs for UNI.

Adams earned her second win in as many starts with a six-hit two-run complete game. The freshman struck out six and walked one on her way to a 2-0 record.

The Panthers move to 9-7 overall, 1-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. SMS now stands at 6-11 overall, 1-1 in the MVC.

The squads wrap-up their three-game set Sunday at noon.