MANKATO, Minn. --- After opening the season with 42 games on the road, the Minnesota State softball team made its home debut sweeping Upper Iowa (2-1, 11-5) Wednesday afternoon at the MSU Softball Diamond.

In game one, Minnesota State (30-14, 11-9 NSIC) edged Upper Iowa (18-12, 5-15 NSIC), 2-1. Freshman pitcher Mackenzie Ward (16-6) got off to a quick start by retiring nine of the first eleven batters and allowing only one hit through the first three innings. Ward finished with a game-high three strikeouts in a complete game. Sophomore Emily Kisch (9-9) picks up the loss for the Peacocks with one strikeout in 6.0 innings.

Senior Jessica Meidl got the Mavericks on the board early with single to center field scoring junior McKenzie Paap, 1-0, in the opening frame. Sophomore Kennedy Rieck pushed the Minnesota State edge to 2-0 after connecting on a RBI double to right field in the second inning.  The Peacocks cut the lead in half during the fourth frame as freshman Katie Crogan hit an RBI single to make the score 2-1.

Freshman Torey Richards paced Minnesota State with a game-high two hits and one run. Rieck and Meidl also chipped in one hit and one RBI each. The Mavericks totaled six hits as a team in comparison to the Peacocks four.

In game two, Minnesota State used a six-run sixth inning to surge past Upper Iowa, 11-5. Ward earned the win for the Mavericks throwing a season-high nine strikeouts over 7.0 innings. Freshman Sydney Wilcox (2-4) takes the Peacocks with two strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work.

After both teams registered a run in the first two innings to make the score, 1-1, Minnesota State erupted with a four-run third inning to steal the lead, 5-1. The frame was highlighted by a Richards single which allowed the Mavericks to capitalize on an Upper Iowa error to score a pair of unearned runs by freshman Hailey Forshee andHannah McCarville.

The Peacocks responded with a four-run sixth inning rally which included a three RBI home run to lock the contest, 5-5. Sophomore Carly Esselman retaliated for the Mavericks with an RBI single to right center igniting a six-run inning to regain the lead, 11-5. The Minnesota State defense held strong in the top half of the seventh frame to secure the win with two ground outs and a fly out.

Paap led the Mavericks with a game-best three runs and two stolen bases. The outfielder also added a team-high three hits to her stat line. Meidl contributed two hits and two RBI, while Richards notched two hits and two runs. Minnesota State posted 13 hits as a team in comparison to Upper Iowa's eight.

Minnesota State returns to the MSU Softball Diamond on Saturday hosting Minot State. The doubleheader is set to begin at 1:00 p.m.