PEORIA, Ill. -- Northern Iowa's Rachel Gerking belted a solo home run to lead off the ninth to power the visiting Panthers to a 2-1, nine-inning win against Bradley in Missouri Valley Conference softball action Wednesday afternoon at Laura Bradley Park. 

After UNI pushed a run across in the top of the third inning, senior Kate Singler (Witt, Ill./Nokomis/Heartland C.C.) provided the only scoring for the Braves (8-35 overall, 1-14 MVC) with a solo homer in the fourth to pull Bradley even at 1-1.  The homer was Singler's team-leading fifth of the season and ninth of her career.

UNI (24-21 overall, 8-8) collected 11 hits on the afternoon, but Bradley pitcher Madeline Lynch-Crumrine (Sedro-Woolley, Wash./Sedro-Woolley) worked her way out of several jams and the Panthers left 14 runners on base in the contest. 

Both teams left runners in scoring position in the first inning and Northern Iowa loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the second, when Lynch-Crumrine settled down to get out of the inning unscathed. 

The Panthers scored the first run of the game in the top of the third.  Hannah Borschel was hit by a pitch to open the inning and came around to score on a double off the bat of Eranne Daugharthy to put UNI in front 1-0.

Singler's one-out homer in the fourth pulled Bradley even at 1-1, but Northern Iowa's Jamie Fisher would settle down and give up just one hit in the final five innings.  Junior Julie Sherman (Hickory Hills, Ill./Stagg) led off the fifth with a single before Fisher recorded 11 consecutive outs. 

Northern Iowa threatened in the sixth, but Lynch-Crumrine and the Braves got out of another bases loaded jam.  The Panthers also had a chance in the top of the seventh but came up empty.  Whitney Plein was hit by a pitch with two outs and Livi Abney followed with a single to left center to put runners at second and third.  Lynch-Crumrine got Jaye Hutcheson to groundout to end the inning and the teams went to extra innings tied at 1-1.

The Braves drew a pair of two-out walks in the bottom of the eighth to end Fisher's streak of 11 consecutive batters retired, but left the game-winning run stranded at third and Gerking hit the first pitch of the top of the ninth inning over the fence in center field to put the Panthers back in front 2-1.

Fisher retired Bradley in order in the ninth to close out the complete game win.  She struck out 12 and walked two in nine innings as she improved to 15-8 on the season.

Lynch-Crumrine was on the wrong end of the pitcher's duel, dropping to 1-6 on the year.  She struck out three and walked just one in a season-best nine innings of work.  Sherman finished the day 2-for-4 at the plate to help highlight Bradley's offensive attack, while Singler finished 1-for-4 with her solo homer.

Bradley returns to action Friday opening a three-game series against Indiana State with a 2 p.m. doubleheader at Laura Bradley Park.