Northern Iowa needed some late heroics to qualify for the Missouri Valley Conference post-season tournament. Claudia Sandoval’s sacrifice fly in the 11th scored the winning run as the Panthers edged Evansville 6-5 to earn the sixth and final playoff spot. U-N-I coach Sara Hayes called it an amazing win for the program. Hayes says her team knew what was at stake and they were and emotional wreck. But she says they played with heart.The Panther’s will play top-seeded Illinois State in the opening round.