The Iowa softball team emerged from the Grand Canyon Invitational on March 12 with two pitching honors and a winning record.

With two wins against Georgetown already under their collective belt, the Hawkeyes entered the rubber match with Grand Canyon at .500.

Iowa took an early lead in the first inning but fell behind 5-2 in the bottom of the sixth. In the top of the seventh, Sarah Kurtz began the Hawkeye rally with a 2-run single to close within 1. A double by Allie Wood tied the game.

In the top of the eighth, Iowa took the lead when Cheyenne Pratt singled and scored on an error.

Hawkeye ace Allison Doocy closed out the last two innings of the game, not allowing a hit and striking out 3 of six batters.

“We need to continue to work as a staff and as a team to set people up for success,” head coach Marla Looper said. “It’s starting to happen more often because they believe in themselves. It was nice to see them fight, and scrap, and claw to get that ‘W.’ ”

Earlier that day, Doocy was named the Co-Big Ten Pitcher of the Week and the College Sports Madness Big Ten Player of the Week.

During the weekend, Doocy went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 11 innings, allowing only 7 hits and 3 walks. On March 10, she led Iowa to a 12-1 win over Grand Canyon.

Doocy’s best performance of the season came the next day, when she recorded 15 strikeouts in a complete game against Georgetown. She held the Hoyas to just 4 hits on the way to a 2-0 win.

The success on the mound came from making adjustments in the game to keep opponents guessing.

“[Georgetown] started laying off the rise ball, so she had to get it down in the zone and come back with another pitch, but she didn’t give up,” Looper said. “When she felt them get on their heels, she continued to attack. That’s what allowed her to have success today.”

The Hawkeyes will be back in action on March 14 in Arizona, taking on No. 13 Arizona State in a double-header.