Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 GVSU 5 - UIU 4 (Game 1) || GVSU 11 - UIU 3 (Game 2)
The Peacock baseball team returned to the field on Sunday in Clearwater, Fla. for their fifth and sixth games on just their fourth day outside this season. The team came up short against #7 Grand Valley State University in today's double header. While Upper Iowa (3-3) is just getting their week in Florida started, the Lakers are wrapping up their week in Clearwater and improved to 7-3 with the wins. GVSU won game one, 5-4, and game two, 11-3.
Tyler Adams went 6-8 at the plate on the day and pushed his average to .636 on the season.
John Dobson added 3 runs batted in to his team-high total of 8 in the first 6 games.
Game One Recap
The Lakers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first thanks a two-run homer, a solo blast and an rbi-double as the Peacock starter
Martin Valdez allowed five hits in the inning. Valdez settled down as the lefty only allowed one run on five hits over the remaining six innings.
Upper Iowa cut the gap in half in the bottom of the first. UIU loaded the bases with no outs on three straight hits and scored their first run on a defensive miscue on the infield by the Lakers. With a run on the board and the bases still loaded with no outs, Upper Iowa was looking to put a big number up. A double play cut the threat down, but the Peacocks did get pulled within two, 4-2, before a final out came with runners on the corners.
In the bottom of the third, UIU tied the game, 4-4, after Kortes led off the inning with a walk and moved to third on a double by
Tyler Adams.
John Dobson picked up his second rbi of the day with a ground out and
Dickson Paz pushed Adams home on a grounder.
The score didn't stay knotted for long; the Lakers scored the eventual game-winning run in the top of the fourth with on a sac fly.
Adams, who went 4 for 4 in game one, reached third base with two outs twice in the final three innings, but UIU couldn't plate the senior centerfielder to tie the game.
Valdez fell to 0-2 although he threw his second complete game for the Peacocks. He allowed 5 runs on 10 hits while striking out 4 batters.
Game Two Recap
UIU loaded the bases in the second inning with no outs thanks to a pair of singles by
Jose Aguirre and
Cody Booker and a fielding error in center field. A sac fly off the bat of
Eric Cottrell plated Aguirre, but a ground out and a line out ended the threat without any other Peacocks coming home.
After UIU's starter,
Mason Buster, got out of a bases loaded jam in the first, the Lakers touched the Peacock junior for five runs on four hits including four rbi-singles.
Upper Iowa answered with two runs in the third to shave the Laker lead to two runs, 5-3. Five singles in the first six at-bats of the inning plated two Peacocks thanks to rbi's by Dobson and
Ryan Citro and had the bases loaded with one out. A pair of strikeouts closed out the inning without UIU doing any more damage.
Grand Valley State went back to work at the plate in the third scoring three more runs to reestablish their big advantage, 8-3. The three runs came on just two hits as UIU allowed two walks and a hit batsmen as well.
The Lakers' Sean Clancy shut down the Peacocks over the final four innings allowing just one hit over that span. The GVSU bats scratched another three runs on the scoreboard in the fifth inning; both runs were unearned as an Upper Iowa error extending the inning.
Four Peacocks, including
Luis Ravelo, Adams, Aguirre and Booker, recorded a pair of hits each as the team picked up 10 hits, but did not earn any free passes via walks or hit batsmen. The UIU pitchers were not as stingy as they allowed 12 hits plus 7 walks and 3 hit batsmen.
Buster took the loss with just two innings of work. The Peacocks sent five pitchers to the mound;
Anthony Ruden and
Jordan Kearns threw without allowing a run in their combined 1.2 innings of work.
Next Up
The Peacocks will return to the diamond Monday for a pair of games against the Panthers of Kentucky Wesleyan College. The double header is slated to begin at 11 a.m. ET.
