ROSEMONT, Ill. — The Parkside Rangers offense erupted for 12 runs on 11 hits Thursday afternoon, powering a 12–0 five-inning victory over Upper Iowa. Parkside couldn't keep the momentum offensively in game two, falling to St. Cloud State 5-1. 

GAME ONE VS. UPPER IOWA
After a scoreless opening inning, Parkside broke the game open in the second. Reese Valha worked a leadoff walk and Maddie Hernandez was hit by a pitch to set the table before Mia Johnson launched a three-run home run to deep right field—her first of the season—to give the Rangers an early 3–0 advantage.

Parkside continued to apply pressure in the third inning, capitalizing on timely hitting and an Upper Iowa error. Valha singled to left to start the rally, and Hernandez was again hit by a pitch to load the bases. Gracin Foytik drew a walk to force in a run before Johnson delivered again, ripping a two-run double to center. CICI Di Silvio followed with a two-run single, extending the inning and pushing the Rangers' lead to 8–0.

The Rangers added insurance in the fifth with another surge at the plate. Di Silvio highlighted the frame with a two-run home run to left—her first of the year—while Valha later lined a two-run single to center to cap the scoring at 12–0.

Johnson finished 3-for-4 with five RBI and three runs scored, leading Parkside's offensive attack. Di Silvio also had a standout performance, going 3-for-3 with four RBI, while Valha added two hits and two RBI. Taylor Utrata contributed multiple hits as Parkside tallied 11 overall.

In the circle, Holly Lowenberg earned the win with a complete-game shutout. She scattered six hits, walked one, and struck out six over five innings while keeping Upper Iowa off the scoreboard and working out of multiple traffic situations.

GAME TWO VS. ST. CLOUD STATE 
Parkside opened the scoring in the top of the first inning. Taylor Utrata reached after being hit by a pitch, stole second, and came around to score when Ava Swain lined an RBI double to left field to give the Rangers a 1–0 lead.

The Huskies answered in the second inning, using a sacrifice fly to even the score at 1–1. From there, the game settled into a pitcher's duel as both teams worked through several scoreless frames. Parkside threatened in the second when Reese Valha doubled and later advanced to third, but St. Cloud State worked out of the jam to keep the game tied.

St. Cloud State took the lead in the fifth inning, stringing together two singles and a walk to load the bases before drawing a bases-loaded walk to go in front 2–1.

The Huskies created separation in the sixth. After a walk and a stolen base put runners in scoring position, Bethany Weiss delivered a two-run single up the middle. A follow-up RBI single later in the inning extended the advantage to 5–1.

Parkside collected five hits in the contest, including doubles from Swain and Valha, while Mia Johnson, Maddie Hernandez, and Isabel Aranda each added singles. The Rangers put multiple runners on base in the final inning but could not produce the timely hit needed to cut into the deficit.

Melanie Andrysiak took the loss in the circle, working into the sixth inning while allowing three runs. Casey Jo Vermett also saw action in relief as Parkside navigated seven Huskies hits and seven walks.

Parkside returns to action Sunday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. against William Jewell. Links to coverage can be found at ParksideRangers.com/coverage.