The Peacock baseball team dropped their final two games of the season Saturday in Fayette.  Augustana pushed their winning streak to 13 straight with the two victories that gave them the weekend sweep.  The Vikings scored 4 runs in the sixth inning of game one to snap a 3-3 tie en route to an 8-3 win and then rallied from an 8-7 deficit with two outs in the top of the ninth to score five runs and win 12-8 in the season finale.
 
After the decisions, Augustana is now 34-15 overall and 25-9 in the Northern Sun claiming third place in the standings, while Upper Iowa closed out their campaign with a 19-31 mark overall and an 11-25 record in the NSIC.  For UIU, the season record showed an 8 win improvement overall and a 7-win improvement in the conference from a season ago.
 
UIU's offense was the major reason that the team showed marked improvement this season.  The Peacocks ended the season with 146 extra base hits this season with 97 doubles, 14 triples and 35 homeruns to reach a slugging percentage of .450 with 330 runs scored. A stark contrast to a season ago when the team tallied just 70 extra base hits with 57 doubles, 4 triples and 7 homers and a slugging percentage of .349 scoring just 175 runs. Jacob Greco led the team in doubles (16), homeruns (12) and extra base hits (29), while Alex George and Eric Cottrell each had 15 doubles and Luis Ravelo led the Peacocks with 4 triples.
 
The Peacocks said thank you and goodbye to nine seniors today between games.  Upper Iowa recognized Matt Banks, Jake Barron, Adam Budron, Mason Buster, Charley Cunningham, Dan Cwiertniak, Cody Heiman, Blake Seehusen and Nick Wills for their years of service and dedication to the Peacock baseball program.
 
Mitch Moser got the Peacocks off on the right foot with a homerun over the fence in right field with one out in the first inning.  Upper Iowa added to their lead in the second inning to take a 2-0 lead thanks to elusive base running.  With Jacob Stenberg at third with two outs, Cody Booker took off from first and got caught in a rundown while Stenberg raced home to cross the plate.
 
Augustana got one run back after a pair of singles to lead off the top of the third inning.  After a sacrifice bunt, Lucas Wilbur blooped a single over the head of the second base to push one run in, but UIU starter Mason Buster induced an inning-ending double play to get out of the jam and keep their 2-1 advantage.  The grounder was headed up the middle, but Ravelo made a diving stop and flipped to Moser from his belly for the first out.  Moser then threw a strike to Cottrell at first for the twin killing.
 
Augustana's Alex Fink continued his torrid pace at the plate in the series with his eighth hit and third homerun for two runs in the fourth inning giving the Vikings a 3-2 lead.
 
Colton Janssen tied the game leading off the bottom of the fourth with a solo homer to straight away center.
 
After neither team scratched the scoreboard in the fifth, the Vikings scored four runs on five hits in the sixth inning to chase Buster off the mound and give the visitors a 7-3 lead heading to the bottom of the inning.
 
Augie tacked one final run on in the seventh to set the final score at 8-3.
 
Buster (3-4) took the loss after throwing 5.2 innings and allowing 7 runs on 12 hits while striking out a pair of Vikings.
 
Jacob Blank picked up the win in relief to improve to 3-0 on the year with 2.2 innings of work.
 
The Peacocks got on the scoreboard first in game two thanks to a four-run outburst in the bottom of the third.  Ravelo homered to left centerfield with one out for the game's first run.  Moser followed with a walk and scored when a single to center by Jacob Greco was mishandled.  George picked up an rbi with a ground ball and reached as the Vikings' shortstop was unable to come up with it.  After reaching second on the error, George stole third and came home as the throw to third rolled away as the home team grabbed a 4-0 lead.
 
Augustana tied the game in the top of the fourth with a pair of homeruns including the fourth of the series by Fink, a solo shot to left, and a three-run long ball by Justin Warne.
 
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Ravelo walked, moved to second on a passed ball and then came home after two balks on the Augie starter as UIU took a 5-4 lead.  A triple by Moser and an intentional walk to Greco pushed the Vikings into the bullpen to face George.  After a walk to George, a passed ball allowed Moser to score from third and left runners on second and third for Cottrell.  A strikeout ended the inning, but not before UIU grabbed a 6-4 lead.
 
The teams exchanged a pair of solo homeruns in the fifth as Augie's Jack Goihl and UIU's Janssen both hit long balls to left.  Janssen's shot was his second solo homer of the day and returned the home team their two run lead, 7-5.
 
With an out in the sixth, Moser singled to left field, advanced to second as the fielder misplayed the ball, moved to third on a wild throw from the left fielder and came home on a second throwing miscue as the first baseman overthrew the third baseman.  The single and three errors allowed UIU to claim an 8-5 advantage.
 
Augustana cut the gap to just one, 8-7, with a two-run triple to right center by Patrick Fiala that chased Becker, UIU's starter.  Jake Barron came out of the bullpen and got the final out of the inning to preserve the lead for the home team.
 
With two outs and a runner on second, the Vikings erupted for five runs in the top of the ninth.  Goihl tied the game with a single to left field and after an error extended the inning, Augustana hit back-to-back home runs on a three-run shot to right by Fink, his fifth jack of the weekend, and a solo shot by Bryce Berg to put the visitors ahead 12-8.
 
UIU got a pair of singles from Greco and Cottrell in the ninth, but couldn't get any runs in falling in the final game of the season.
 
Ross Kulick (2-2) suffered the loss after giving up the runs in the ninth although only one of the five runs to cross the plate was earned.  Becker picked up a no-decision after 6.2 innings; he allowed 7 runs on 10 hits.  Jake Barron threw well in relief of UIU's starter throwing 1.1 innings without allowing a baserunner.