Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Peacock baseball team split a pair of games with Kentucky Wesleyan College this afternoon on day two of their run in Clearwater, Fla. Upper Iowa earned a 4-1 victory in game one, but dropped a 6-3 decision in game two to push their overall record to 4-4. The bottom of the fourth inning proved to be the winning frame on the field today. UIU pushed four runs across in game one and the Panthers scored three times in the second contest to secure each teams' victories.

Game One Recap

After the Panthers scored a run in the top of the fourth to break a scoreless tie, the Peacocks got on the board with four runs in the bottom of the inning. The teams did not score a run outside of the fourth inning.

Tyler Adams led off the inning with a single and stole second. Jose Aguirre followed a walk to John Dobson to load the bases with no outs. Dickson Paz stepped to the plate and delivered a double down the right field line on an 0-2 pitch to score Adams and Dobson. Adam Budron plated Aguirre on the inning's first out with a sac fly to deep left field. With two outs, Cody Heiman hit a double past the third baseman scoring Paz from second for UIU's fourth run of the inning.

Brett Fanning went the distance on the hill to earn his first collegiate win. The Spring Valley, Ill. product went the distance throwing seven innings while allowing just one run on six hits while striking out a pair of Panthers.

Game Two Recap

Kentucky Wesleyan got on the scoreboard first in game two with a run in the second inning, but Upper Iowa quickly answered with a pair of runs in the top of the third.

With one out in the third, Luis Ravelo hit a double and moved to third on a foul pop-up that sent KWC's first baseman over the fence. Adams drove Ravelo in with a double and then scored from second on an rbi-single off the bat of John Dobson.

The Peacocks carried their 2-1 lead into the bottom of the fourth, but the Panthers struck for three runs to retake the lead, 4-2. After a leadoff walk and failed pickoff attempt, an error on the infield gave KWC runners on second and third with no outs. A dropped third strike and drop on the throw to first allowed the first run in and a sac bunt moved two runners into scoring position with just one out. A single drove the second run across the plate, while the third run scored as UIU just missed on turning a double play that would have ended the inning. The Panthers did their damage on just one hit thanks to four Peacock errors in the inning.

Kentucky Wesleyan added two more runs in the fifth inning to take a 6-2 lead. Upper Iowa threatened a big inning in the sixth, but settled for just one run falling by a final score of 6-3.

In the sixth, Eric Cottrell led off with a single, and after a strikeout, Ryan Citro singled to put runners on first and second with one out. Alex George drove in Cottrell and pushed Citro to third with double to left centerfield. With runners in scoring position, Ravelo lost a long battle at the plate and Aguirre flew out to left to end the threat.

At the plate, UIU had 10 hits, but couldn't string enough together to put runs on the board. Adams went 3 for 4 at the dish in game two and 4 for 7 on the day, while Citro added two hits in the second contest. Adams now has 18 hits in 29 at bats through eight games this season for a .621 average to open his final season in Peacock blue.

Tanner Funke took the loss allowing 6 runs, 3 were earned, on six hits while striking out 3 batters in his 4 innings on the mound. Matt Banks came on in relief and threw 2 innings without allowing a run or hit while striking out two batters.

Next Up

The Peacocks will take the field for a single nine-inning game at 2 p.m. against the Fighting Scots of Ohio Valley University on Tuesday afternoon in Clearwater.