SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Shelby Abeyta (28) brought the good stuff to Iowa. She just forgot to bring to the first batter.
 
After giving up a leadoff homerun against No. 4 Campbellsville (Ky.), the junior pitcher threw a gem, striking out eight in a four hit, one ER, complete game effort in UGF softball's 5-1 win over the Tigers.
 
"It was really cool that she didn't let that first batter get to her," UGF head coach Joey Egan said of her pitcher. "She dug in and said 'nope. That's not how this is going to go.'"
 
Thanks to Abeyta and a good day from UGF's batters, the Lady Argos stay alive in the double elimination Morningside Bracket of the 2016 NAIA Opening Round. The game eliminates Campbellsville, whose other loss was also to UGF, a 4-1 affair played a day earlier. That game was the UGF program's first win over a top-5 team. This was its second.
 
UGF moves on to the championship round of the bracket, and will face hosting institution Morningside College (Iowa), a team that beat UGF 3-1 earlier in the day. Because Morningside has already beaten the Lady Argos, UGF will have to win twice against the Mustangs to move on the 2016 NAIA Softball World Series. The first game will be played on Wednesday, May 18 at 1 p.m. MT, with the second game following immediately after if needed.
 
"All we have to do is play the game that we play. If they beat us again, fine, hats off to them, but we can't beat ourselves," Egan said about the task ahead. "If we play well, we'll be just fine.  We know we're the underdogs in this situation but we're walking up with the approach that we can do anything."
 
Before UGF could advance to play Morningside, the team needed a few big offensive moments to pair with Abeyta's pitching.
 
The first, and perhaps the biggest, was the perfect response to CU's leadoff homer.  It came from senior Alex Lowry (14) who stepped to the plate in the bottom of the first with two outs, no one on, and her team down 1-0. She proceeded to hit a solo shot of her own over the center fielder wall to tie the game up at one. The homerun was her fifth of the season and gave UGF the momentum it had lost not long before.
 
"It was everything. It was the moment of change in our whole team's demeanor," Egan said. "For Alex to tie the ballgame up and clear our slate was the best feeling. You could it from the girls, that the moment that we became the ones with the momentum."
 
Abeyta allowed just one hit over the next two innings, biding time in hopes that the UGF batters could get her the run support needed for a win.
 
A double from junior Jocelyn Kaufman (15) in the bottom of the 3rd brought hopes of that, and one batter later, senior Mindy Larson (4) made those hopes come true. Larson's single to left field scored Kaufman, and another single from Lowry brought Larson into scoring position at second. A third straight single, this one from junior Hali Gruntowicz (19), brought Larson across home plate.
 
For another inning and a half, UGF held to a 3-1 lead that still didn't feel like enough, knowing the power hitting Tigers could strike again with one swing.
 
Pinch hitter Kylie Prough (18) gave the team a more comfortable lead in the bottom of the fifth, stepping to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. Prough's single up the center gave enough time for Gruntowicz and speedy senior Keeley Van Blaricom (6) to score to bring the lead to 5-1.
 
Prough led UGF with 2 RBIs in the game, while Larson, Lowry, and Gruntowicz each went 2-4 with 1 RBI and 1 Run. Kaufman not only caught her second complete game of the day, but went a perfect 3-3 with a bat in her hand and also scored the game winning run.
 
Not only does the win advance UGF in the tournament, but it also brings further proof that the team is a legitimate player on the national scene and not just a fluke. The team hasn't been ranked all season but having beaten the no. 4 team in the country not once, but twice, is a big statement for the program.
 
"Throughout the season we've been really up and down and that's why our record is what it is, but when we're playing our best I truly believe we can compete with anyone in the nation," Egan said. "It's a group of mature young ladies that know how to play the game of softball with confidence and composure. They're just taking off."