JOPLIN, Mo. – Three homers in the nightcap snapped a four game skid for the Northeastern State softball team with a 12-6 win over Upper Iowa. 

The late outburst by the RiverHawks came after they were two-hit by McKendree to fall 4-0 in the opener. 

Northeastern State's only two hits on the Bearcats (10-6) came in the second inning and 13 went down in order before NSU reached on a hit-by-pitch with two outs in the seventh. 

The RiverHawks struck out 12 times with Jennifer Wolf (0-3) going 4 2/3 innings inside the circle; Taryn Gray entered contest in the fifth to record the final four outs.

In the nightcap against Upper Iowa (3-10), it was early offense that guided the RiverHawks to the win.  NSU plated a run in the opening frame and then Ryan Martin blasted her second homer of the year to clear the bases to put them up 5-0 on the Peacocks.

The Peacocks scored two in the fourth off of a two-run shot before NSU countered in the bottom half of the inning with Paige Gann's two-run homer.

Upper Iowa would threaten NSU and ate off of the RiverHawks' lead by plating a run in the fifth, and then a two run homer in the sixth put them within a pair.  With a runner on first, Gray came in what would have been a save situation, and finished the frame without any more damage done. 

With the game at 7-5, the RiverHawks opened the home half of the sixth with a solo shot by Sierra Crick before they sent nine more batters in the inning to plate four extra runs to put the game out of reach for Upper Iowa.

Martin had three of the RiverHawks' ten hits and four RBI in the win.  Sylver Collins (6-2) went 5 1/3 innings to pick up the win and Gray earned her first save.

The split on Saturday sends Northeastern State to 7-8 overall and they will complete the weekend on Sunday with a doubleheader starting at 10 a.m.