CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (April 9, 2022) – Host Northern Iowa (17-11, 8-1 MVC) belted four home runs and Panther pitchers struck out 24 batters in a doubleheader sweep of Loyola University Chicago (9-20, 3-8 MVC) Saturday afternoon. The Ramblers have now dropped eight of their last nine outings following today's 4-1 and 8-2 setbacks at the hands of the Missouri Valley Conference leader.
 
Game 1
Mya Dodge opened the scoring in game one, smashing a home run to lead off Northern Iowa's half of the first inning and after a Brooke Snider RBI single in the second, Sammy Moss belted a solo homer in the third inning for all of the offense the Panthers would need en route to a 4-1 victory. 
 
Loyola freshman Peyton Pepkowski struck out five in 4.0 innings of work and Sydney Ruggles tossed two innings of hitless relief, but the Ramblers' offense couldn't solve UNI starter Kailyn Packard, who allowed just one hit and struck out 12 on the afternoon.
 
First baseman Amelia Thomas thwarted Packard's hopes for a no-hitter when she whacked a two-out home run in the top of the seventh inning for Loyola's first and only hit of the game, which also spoiled the righthander's shutout bid.
 
Game 2
Thomas was one of the offensive catalysts for Loyola as the Ramblers jumped out to a quick lead in the nightcap. A first-inning, one-out single off the bat of Madison Ebeling was followed by Thomas' double to left that placed two Ramblers in scoring position. Haley Wallace put Loyola on top with a RBI groundout, but that was as much damage as Loyola was able to do against UNI starting pitcher Erica Oler in the opening frame.
 
Unfortunately for Loyola, that lead was short-lived thanks to Moss' two-run roundtripper in the Panthers' half of the first inning and UNI would eventually tack on another run on Snider's bases-loaded walk.
 
Loyola cut the deficit in half, creeping within a run, in the top of the second. A single off the bat of Nova Sinskul got the rally started for the Ramblers and she would later score on Abbey Jacobsen's RBI groundout to bring Loyola within 3-2.
 
UNI put the game away in the third inning however when Kylee Sanders drilled a home run and Taylor Logan and Daryn Lamprecht added run-scoring doubles later in the frame to extend the Panthers' advantage to 6-2 on the way to an 8-2 victory.
 
Samantha Heyer shut the door on Loyola's early offensive outburst, entering in the third inning and striking out 11 hitters in only 5.0 innings of action.
 
Up Next
Loyola and UNI close out the three-game weekend series Sunday with a single game at noon.