COLUMBIA, Mo. - Sammey Bunch made quite the NCAA Tournament debut Friday evening, hitting a 3-run home run in the third inning to give Northern Iowa an 8-0 lead as the Panthers run-ruled Iowa State in an opening round game at Mizzou Softball Stadium.
Playing in her first career NCAA event, Bunch hit 2-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored. The home run was the 59th of her career, which set a new Missouri Valley Conference record, and she hit the milestone an hour from her hometown.
"Yeah, I'm just so grateful that (my friends and family) got to come this weekend and finally see me play," Bunch said after the game. "For a lot of them it's a first over my five years, so I'm just so grateful and humbled by the opportunity to enjoy this experience."
Northern Iowa won its second NCAA Tournament game in program history as six different batters had hits and Kailyn Packard allowed just two base-runners, tossing a 64-pitch complete game one-hitter.
The Panthers scored four runs in both the second and third innings. Kamryn Shaffer doubled and Sammy Moss walked to put two runners on in the third. Madison Parks hit an RBI single to turn the lineup over, and like she had been in her first two at-bats, Bunch was patient at the plate.
She didn't swing at the first three pitches, and then sitting on a 2-1 count, went opposite field out to right, clearing the fence by a few inches for career homer 59. Bunch said she pressed for the home run during the MVC Tournament last week, and was more patient at the plate on Friday.
"I knew I was gonna get something outside, so I was really focused on letting the ball get late and really driving it towards the right field foul line," she said. "That's what I did, and it all worked out."
The Panthers (32-18) will play Missouri at 1 p.m. today in the winner's bracket semifinals.