Upper Iowa lost a pair of NSIC games at the University of Minnesota Crookston on Monday, 11-4 and 7-1. The Golden Eagles rode solid pitching to a pair of complete games for their starters as the Peacocks managed just 12 hits on the day. With the wins, UMC improved to 18-11 overall and 11-4 in the NSIC, while UIU fell to 11-18 overall and 7-11 in the conference.
The Peacocks struck first in game one with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning.
Colton Janssen tripled to right to open the inning and came home on a grounder for Jacob Stenberg. A
Jacob Greco double brought Stenberg home with the second run.
In the first two innings, UIU starter
Tanner Poor allowed just one hit, but a double play erased the baserunner. However, the Golden Eagles got to Poor in the third inning exploding for six runs on five hits including a bases-clearing triple off the bat of Ryan Haggstrom.
Ethan Eckelberg came on in relief and threw two innings allowing four runs on four hits and an error in the fifth inning as the Peacocks fell behind 10-2.
UIU got two runs back on three hits in the sixth inning thanks to an rbi-ground out from Greco and a run-scoring single by
Alex George to cut the lead to 10-4.
UMC scored a final run in the bottom of the sixth and held the Peacocks without a hit in the seventh to claim the 11-4 victory. Jarad Nelson picked up the complete game victory holding UIU to the four runs on six hits.
Janssen and George each had two hits in the game, while Poor (0-2) took the loss in three innings of work.
In game two, the Golden Eagles scored two runs in each of the first three innings of Peacock starter Zach Cain.
Collin Thomas took to the mound in relief of Cain and threw well keeping UMC off the scoreboard in his 4.2 innings, but the Peacock offense only managed one run on six hits against Nolan Wahlberg, who earned the complete game victory.
Upper Iowa's run came in the eighth inning on a
Cody Booker home run to right as the Golden Eagles swept the day with a 7-1 win.
Cain (0-1) took the loss for UIU, while Booker had two hits in the game from the leadoff spot.
The Peacocks are scheduled to host the Mavericks of Minnesota State University, Mankato on Wednesday, Apr. 20, at 1:30 p.m.
