May 4, 2008
Game One Box Score || Game Two Box Score
The Upper Iowa baseball team got back onto the diamond in Bismarck, N.D. for their final double header of the regular season. The Peacocks entered the day with a small shot at the NSIC Championship, but those hopes fell through when the University of Mary rallied in game one to take a commanding lead and win the contest 15-6. Upper Iowa didn't let the result spoil their day as they took game two with style winning 13-5. The Peacocks finished the NSIC regular season in second place with a 24-8 record. With two wins today, Wayne State earned the regular season NSIC title with a 24-6 record.
UIU jumped on the board early in game one with four runs in the top of the first inning. The Peacocks scored those four runs with only one hit in the inning. After being hit by a pitch, Kreston Albright advanced to second on a Nick Fjelland single. After an error, the bases were loaded with Peacocks with no outs. Brock Spangenberg walked to pick up an rbi and Lucas Wilsing hit a sac fly to right to score Fjelland. Two more runs scored when Seth Fox reached on an error two batters later.
U-Mary got one run back in the bottom of the inning thanks to back-to-back doubles. The game's score remained at 4-1 as both starting pitchers took control in the second, third and fourth innings. The Marauders jumped on Peacock-starter Greg Sieck and took command of the game. U-Mary scored six runs with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. The Marauders loaded the bases with two outs on two walks and a single. Tyler Liffrig hit a bases-clearing double that tied the game. UM added an rbi-single and a two-run homer before UIU finally got the last out of the inning.
With a 7-4 lead, the Marauders put the game away in their next at bat with eight more runs on nine hits; all of the hits were singles in the inning. The Peacocks scratched back two runs when Marcus Thompson doubled to drive in Nick Fjelland and Kreston Albright. Sieck was saddled with the loss for the Peacocks as he allowed seven runs on eight hits in his five innings of work.
In game two, Upper Iowa was back at work putting big numbers on the scoreboard in the early innings. The Peacocks scored eleven runs over the opening four innings of game two, while starter Lucas Wilsing held the Marauders to just a three-spot in the bottom of the first.
Kreston Albright led the game off with a single and Jarrod Esquibel followed it with a single of his own. Fjelland jumped on a pitch and gave the Peacocks a 3-0 lead with just one swing as he lifted the ball over the wall. After the Marauders returned the favor in their half of the first, the game was tied at 3-3.
Upper Iowa got three more in the second inning. Ryan Arp and Mather opened the inning with singles and Albright then followed with a double to drive in Arp. Mather scored on a ground out by Esquibel and Brock Spangenberg drove in the last run with a single.
The Upper Iowa bats did not stop in the third when they got four runs on four hits and three U-Mary errors. The hits included a Seth Fox double, a Tom Longoni single, a Mather homerun, and an Esquibel single. The Peacocks capped off their opening four innings with a run in the fourth when Mather hit a sac fly to right that scored Fox.
Both teams scored a pair of runs late in the game as the Peacocks took the victory in game two 13-5. Lucas Wilsing improved his record to 4-3 with the victory. The sophomore threw six innings allowing three runs on five hits while striking out six.
Upper Iowa (29-24, 24-8 NSIC, #6 Central Region) will now look to the Northern Sun Conference Tournament. The Peacocks will play against the Beavers of Bemidji State on Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Wayne, Nebraska. A full bracket will be released by the NSIC Office soon.
