It wasn't the start that
Mason Buster had in mind for his second start of the year, but the senior persevered through a tough first inning to pick up his first win of the season. Both teams crossed the plate five times in the first inning, but Buster and
Zach Carstens combined to allow only one more run to the Dragons of Tiffin University over the final eight innings. Upper Iowa won the game 10-6 behind the pitchers and the bats led by
Alex George and
Eric Cottrell. The win improved UIU's record to 6-5 on the season and 6-3 at the Winning Inning Invitational in Clearwater, Fla.
Tiffin scored five runs in the top of the first on four hits, but Upper Iowa answered quickly with five runs of their own in the bottom of the inning.
Luis Ravelo and
Jacob Greco both scored on a double by George, who scored three batters later when Jacob Stenberg earned a bases loaded walk. After a pitching change,
Cody Booker was hit by a pitch to push another run across the plate and Ravelo walked in his second at bat of the inning to force the final run across the plate in the first.
The pitchers began to retake control of the game, but the Peacocks were able to break the tie in the fifth inning with a run on two hits highlighted by a Stenberg rbi-single that sent George to the plate.
Upper Iowa widened their lead in the bottom of the seventh picking up four hits to score three runs and jump out to a 9-5 advantage.
Colton Janssen singled in a pair of runs and
Adam Budron drove a run in with a two-out single.
UIU's final run came in the eighth inning when
Mitch Moser, who led the frame off with a single, scored on a Cottrell single with one out.
Tiffin put the last run on the board in the top of the ninth on a leadoff homerun from Isaac Perry to pull the Dragons with four, 10-6, but Carstens was able to hold TU off the board for the remainder of the inning for the Peacock win.
Buster threw six innings allowing five runs on seven hits while striking out seven Dragons. Carstens went three innings surrendering just one run on six hits while fanning three batters.
Wyatt Myers took the loss in relief for the Dragons during his four innings of work.
George went 3-4 at the plate with a pair of rbi's and three runs scored, while Cottrell had two hits and Stenberg and Janssen each drove in two runs.
The Peacocks will close out their run in Clearwater, Fla. tomorrow against a conference foe. The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles will take on Upper Iowa on Saturday. Live stats will be available for the game...
http://www.sidearmstats.com/umcrookston/baseball.
