The Upper Iowa baseball team split a pair of Northern Sun Conference games at Robertson Woods Field today. The Peacocks dropped an extra inning affair in game one, 8-5 (8), to the Golden Bears of Concordia, but rallied to win the second game, 7-2. The home team had their chances to pull out a win in the first game, but couldn’t come up with the big hit in the late innings. After the split, the Peacocks are now 14-15 overall and 8-8 in the NSIC, while the Golden Bears are 9-6 overall and 3-3 in conference action.

 

Detailed recaps of each game are below.

 

The Peacocks will head to Marshall, Minn. this Saturday and Sunday, Apr. 16-17, for a four-game series with the Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State. UIU, SMSU, and CU all remain tied and Wayne State has now joined the group of teams at .500 in NSIC games. All four are now tied for fifth place in the conference standings.

 

 

Concordia struck first with an unearned run in the top of the second, but Upper Iowa rallied with three runs in the fourth inning. The fourth was highlighted by four Peacock hits including a two-run triple to right center from Matt Corbitt and a rbi-ground out by Luis Rodriguez.

 

The Golden Bears then scored four runs with two outs in the top of the fifth inning to retake the lead, 5-3. The CU runs were plated by a Jon Stockton two-run blast to right and a Sam Fagely double to right center that pushed two runners home.

 

The Peacocks wasted no time in tying the game at 5-5 in their next at bats. A Pat Arntson double sent Rudy Casillas, who reached on a single, all the way around to score and Matt Smoley drove Arntson in with a single up the middle. UIU got runners to second and third with only one out after the two runs had scored, but were unable to push a run across to take the lead.

 

UIU’s defense turned a double play to end a Golden Bear threat in the seventh before Concordia returned the favor in the bottom of the inning as Upper Iowa had runners on first and second with one out, but failed to score the winning run.

 

In the eighth, the visitors scored three runs on five hits including a pair of doubles and three singles to take an 8-5 lead. The home team got the tying run to the plate with two outs and runners on second and third, but a final fly out ended the game and sent the Peacocks back to the dugout with a loss in game one.

 

Eric Anderson earned a no-decision after throwing 5 innings and allowing 5 runs, 4 earned, on 6 hits while walking 4 and striking out 11 Golden Bears. Brett Westra worked a scoreless sixth inning, but Mario Madera took the loss (2-2) with 1.1 innings and 3 runs allowed.  

 

Nick Anderson (2-1) earned the win for CU in relief; he threw 4 innings and surrendered 5 hits, but no runs to UIU.

 

At the plate, Casillas and Smoley had three hits apiece while Arntson, Henrichs and Juve Reyes each had two hits.

 

 

Matt Treybig continued his dominance on the mound. The junior right hander has allowed 6 runs, only 3 of them earned, in his last four starts. He has logged 31.2 innings on the hill in those four starts and has struck out 27 batters while allowing only 26 hits.

 

The Orange, California native threw a complete game this afternoon to earn his third win and even his record to 3-3. He spent 7 innings on the mound and gave up two unearned runs while scattering 5 hits and striking out 5 CU batters.

 

Upper Iowa opened the scoring in the second inning with three runs on three hits. Kody McCauley doubled to right to open the inning and advanced to third on a Smoley-single to left. Corbitt picked up an rbi with a sacrifice fly and Juve Reyes hit a two-run single with two outs to plate Smoley and Loza, who was hit by a pitch. 

 

The Peacocks added two more in the third after loading the bases with one out. Smoley was hit by a pitch to force one run in and Corbitt grounded into a fielder’s choice to pick up his second rbi of the game and leave runners on the corners with two outs, but the home team couldn’t push any more runs across the plate as the innings ended on a strikeout.

 

Concordia threatened in the fourth putting runners on second and third with one out, but a good defensive play by Reyes at third cut a run down at the plate and the inning ended one ground ball later. In the fifth, Bryan Lippincott homered to center field with a man on to cut the margin to 5-2, but the visitors would get no closer. An error earlier in the inning prolonged Concordia’s time at the plate and gave Lippincott his opportunity to strike.

 

Casillas opened the fifth for the home team with a triple down the right field line and came home on an Arntson double to the gap in left center. Corbitt picked up his third rbi of the game and fifth of the day on a single through the left side that chased Arntson home and gave UIU a 7-2 lead. The Peacocks were poised for more runs as they loaded the bases, but Concordia held the deficit at five.

 

Andy Fagely took the loss (2-2) for CU allowing 7 runs on 8 hits in his 4 innings of work.

 

At the plate for UIU, Casillas, Bergeman, and Arntson all had two hits.