FAYETTE, Iowa – No. 22 Winona State University opened conference play with a sweep at Upper Iowa University as the Warrior offense got hot late in a 7-1 win to open play Wednesday afternoon and proceeded to steamroll the Peacocks in the finale, 10-0. Alison Nowak homered in each ballgame.
Winona State improved to 17-5 (2-0 NSIC) while serving as the home team due to a site reversal at Upper Iowa (8-9, 0-2 NSIC).
While the Warrior offense pounded the Peacocks for 17 runs on 30 hits, Jordyn Kleman (8-1) and Liz Pautz (5-2) allowed just five combined hits in the doubleheader sweep. Kleman fanned 12 batters over 7.0 IP in her seventh complete game effort of the year and Pautz punched out eight over 5.0 IP for her second shutout.
The Warriors scratched across runs in the first and third frames to give Kleman a comfortable lead in the circle before posting their first crooked number of the day in the bottom of the fourth. Carly Kordich, Katie Kolb and Kayla Kerkman each singled in order to begin the inning and load the bases. Two batters later, Nowak roped a ball to third to chase home a run and Alexis Kelsey followed with a sac fly to make it a 4-0 affair.
Nowak and Kelsey then launched back-to-back blasts in the bottom of the sixth before WSU played small-ball for its final run of the tilt later in the inning.
Kleman's lone blemish of the day came on a solo homer in top of the sixth on a blustery day that saw four balls leave the yard. The junior right-hander sat down the final four batters she faced after the longball to cruise to her fourth double-digit strikeout effort of the year.
With the offense humming heading into game two, Winona State wasted no time claiming a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Kelsey capped her four-RBI day by driving in Kolb and Kerman for the early advantage.
Nowak's second dinger of the day lit the fuse on the Warriors' six-run third inning as the floodgates officially opened. After run-scoring hits by Kordich, Kerkman and Lani Van Zyl proceeded the blast, Nowak stepped back to the plate and made it a 9-0 difference with her second RBI of the frame and fifth of the twinbill.
A pinch-hit sac fly by Rina Niehoff accounted for the final run of the afternoon in the run-ruled finale.
Pautz allowed just three batters to reach while scattering two hits. After surrendering a leadoff double to begin the game, the sophomore proceeded to sit down 10 of the next 11 batters she faced. In the triumph, Pautz lowered her NSIC-leading ERA to 0.45.
Kerkman combined to go 4-for-6 on the day with four runs scored as she raised her season average to .400.
The Warriors will return to the road this weekend for four games in Aberdeen, S.D. inside the Presentation College Dome. WSU and Northern State square in a doubleheader on Saturday with two more slated against MSU Moorhead on Sunday.
