FAYETTE, IA – Taylor Mendez supplied the power and Brieann Backes and Taylor Lara the pitching to lead the University of Mary softball team to a sweep at Upper Iowa University. Capturing game one 5-4 and the second 6-2, the Marauders remain tied for ninth in the Northern Sun and poised to grab one of the league's ten playoff spots with a week remaining in the regular season.
 
Mendez generated four extra base hits on the day and reached base in seven of her eight plate appearances. The Marauders senior was 4-for-5 with two doubles, a triple and a home run. She scored four times and drove in three, walked twice and was hit by a pitch. The round tripper was her team-high ninth of the season. Mendez now has 48 home runs in her career, the most of any Marauders player during the school's NCAA era.
 
Mary took an early lead in the opening game. Colleen Crutchfield led off with a double to left field and scored on a Lara sacrifice fly. A short-lived advantage, Upper Iowa tallied twice in the third for a 2-1 lead.
 
Amber Gamboa and Crutchfield run-scoring singles in the fifth regained the lead for UMary. Mendez extended the lead to 5-2 with a two-run home run to left field in the sixth inning.
 
That cushion proved necessary as Upper Iowa put together a 2-out rally in the seventh. An error, a single and a 2-run double by Riley Kruel, the Peacocks pulled within 5-4. Still fighting for a win, Upper Iowa loaded the bases on an infield single and a hit batter. With the Marauders on the ropes, Tara Walls lined out to Mendez at first for the final out.
 
Mendez, Crutchfield and Lex Hubbard all had two hits for UMary. Mendez and Hannah Holtz both scored twice with Mendez driving in two runs.
 
Backes pitched a seven inning complete game for the win. She struck out two, didn't walk a batter, allowed two earned runs and gave up eight hits.
 
Kriel and Julia Buffington both had two hits for Upper Iowa.
 
Having survived the opener, the Marauders went for the sweep.
 
Three straight 2-out run-scoring hits in the third inning  -  singles for Holtz and Gamboa sandwiched around a double for Mendez – game UMary a 3-0 lead. After the Peacocks scored a single run in the bottom of the third, the Marauders responded with two runs in the top of the fourth to push the visitor ahead 5-1. Kylie Alto led off with a home run to left before Holtz capped the inning with a run-scoring single by Holtz.
 
The Peacocks closed within 5-2 after five before Mary tacked on the final run of the game in the seventh. Mendez tripled with one out and scored on a double by Gamboa to seal the 6-2 win and the sweep.
 
Mendez and Holtz both had a pair of hits. Holtz drove in two runs and scored once while Mendez scored twice and drove in one. Gamboa also had two RBIs in the game.
 
Lara pitched a complete game win. In seven innings she struck out two, allowed a pair of runs, walked three and scattered eight hits.
 
The Marauders (18-31 overall, 12-12 NSIC) moved into a tied for ninth place with Minot State and is just two wins out of fifth place with six games remaining. UIU slips to 17-29 and 9-15.
 
UMary visits MSU Moorhead on April 26 before hosting Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul on April 29-30.
 
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