KENOSHA, Wis. – The Parkside softball team returned to their home field on Wednesday afternoon for a non-conference match up against Upper Iowa. The Rangers would sweep the day after a dominate 8-0 five inning victory in game one, and a tightly contested 3-2 victory in game two.
Game One
After a quick 1-2-3 inning by the Parkside defense to open the game, the Rangers struck first in the bottom of the first.
Mia Johnson sparked the offense with a leadoff walk and later came around to score on an RBI single from
Megan Medlin.
Parkside blew the game open in the second inning. With two runners aboard,
Toni Rodriguez crushed a three-run homer to left field, capping off a five-run frame. The offensive surge featured five hits, including a triple by Johnson and an RBI single from
Ava Swain.
The Rangers tacked on two more runs in the fourth, capitalizing on an Upper Iowa error and back-to-back singles from
Haley Remington and Swain. Rodriguez reached on an error and later came around to score on a single from
Taylor Utrata, pushing the lead to 8–0.
On the defensive side, Parkside held the Peacocks to just three hits, stranding four runners and forcing Upper Iowa to go 0-for-7 with runners on base. Freshman
Casey Jo Vermett was dominate in the circle. She would shutout the Peacock offense en route to her first career victory.
Game Two
Parkside wasted no time getting on the board, plating two runs in the bottom of the first.
Mia Johnson led off with a single and came around to score on a two-out RBI double from Medlin.
Toni Rodriguez followed with a groundout that scored Alexis Swain to make it 2–0.
Upper Iowa responded with a run in the third and another in the fourth to even the score at 2–2. The Peacocks strung together four hits in the third, capped off by an RBI single. They tied it up in the fourth on an unearned run following a single.
With the game deadlocked, Medlin came through in the clutch in the bottom of the fifth. The junior slugger sent a first-pitch offering over the left-center field fence to put the Rangers back in front 3–2 — a lead they would not relinquish.
Defensively, Parkside turned two key double plays and held Upper Iowa hitless over the final three innings.
Shelly Deisz earned the win in relief, while the pitching staff combined to allow just two earned runs on eight hits.
Up Next
The Rangers will return to action on Friday at the Case Softball Complex. Parkside will host Purdue Northwest in GLIAC action. Game one of the doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m. CDT. Coverage can be found at ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
