The Peacock baseball team opened their seven-day run at the Winning Inning Invitational in Clearwater, Fla. with a pair of close losses after late-inning rallies came up short.  Upper Iowa (3-2) lost a 5-3 decision to Mansfield University in the first game and a 13-10 run-fest to St. Leo University in the second game.
 
The Peacock starters Brett Fanning and Tyus Adkins suffered the losses for UIU to even their records at 1-1 on the season. Fanning went 3 innings against Mansfield allowing three runs on five hits while striking out three, while Adkins lasted 2.1 innings and allowed 10 runs on six hits and 5 walks.  The bullpen was strong on the day combining for 11.2 innings of work while surrendering five runs on 12 hits in that span.  Zachary Cain, Jordan Kearns and Mitch Silberstein all worked on the hill without giving up a run.
 
In game one, Mansfield (6-2) took an early lead with a run in the first and two more in the fourth inning.  The Peacocks made it 3-1 in the sixth inning when Luis Ravelo led the frame off with a double down the left field line and was chased home after a ground out and sac fly to right off the bat of Mitch Moser.  Mansfield pushed the lead back to three with an unearned run in the sixth, but Upper Iowa got it right back in the top of the seventh with an unearned run of their own as Jake Stenberg picked up an rbi single through the left side.  Mansfield's final run came in the bottom of the seventh after a leadoff double to put the home team ahead 5-2.  UIU tried to spark a rally in the ninth when Stenberg recorded his second rbi of the game with a double down the right field line.  With two outs, Cody Booker singled to put runners on the corners, but a third and final strikeout in the inning ended the Peacock threat.
 
In game two, St. Leo (10-7) jumped all over the Peacocks early with four runs in the first inning highlighted by a bases-clearing double that plated three.  Upper Iowa scored a run in the bottom of the first with an rbi-ground out by Coltron Janssen to score Booker, who led off with a single.  St. Leo chased Adkins in the third inning with six more runs pushing out to a 10-1 lead.  Alex George hit a sac fly in the fourth to push a run home for UIU and Jacob Greco and Janssen both hit rbi-singles in the fifth inning to slim the margin to 10-4.  St. Leo added a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth to stake their pitchers to a 13-4 lead. 
 
The Peacocks took one final charge at the comeback in the bottom of the eighth inning.  Three straight walks and a pair of fielding error sparked the rally.  Sam Broome registered an rbi-single to center to plate UIU's fourth run of the frame.  The fifth run came home on a stolen base attempt that resulted in a throwing error and the final run of the inning came when Nick Kleitsch singled and drove in another Peacock.  With runners on the corners and the tying run at the plate, UIU's comeback ended on a fly out to right field.
 
Cal Seehase doubled to left with one out in the ninth, but the Peacocks couldn't generate anything to bring him home.
 
Upper Iowa will play against Cedarville University on Monday morning at 9 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT) in their only action of the day.