Upper Iowa split a pair of Northern Sun Conference baseball games with Minnesota State University, Mankato on Thursday in Fayette. The Peacocks scored a 3-0 win in game one, and then the Mavericks evened the win total with a dominant 21-3 win in game two. UIU (12-19, 8-12 NSIC) got great pitching in game one and timely, and powerful, hitting in the second inning to secure the game one win, while MSU (19-12, 10-7 NSIC) used 20 hits against six Peacock pitchers to score their big win.
Minnesota State loaded the bases in the first inning with no outs, but UIU starter
Garrison Becker got a pair of strikeouts around an infield fly to get out of the jam.
Upper Iowa got on the board first with three runs on three hits in the second inning. Jacob Stenberg led the inning off with a solo home run to right and
Alex George followed with a single to center.
Jordan Kearns capped off the scoring with a bomb to left field giving the Peacocks a 3-0 lead.
The three runs in the bottom of the second held up for the remainder of the game as Becker (1-0) and the Peacock defense held the Mavericks off the scoreboard to pitch the 3-0 shutout. The senior hurler allowed 5 hits and struck out 5 batters while forcing 10 groundouts which the UIU defense handled cleanly.
Dalton Roach (3-2) took the loss for MSU going the distance with six innings of work; he allowed the three runs on seven hits while striking out 8 Peacocks.
Kyle Toth opened the second game with a solo home run to left center and Minnesota State added five more runs on six hits including two more long balls in the third inning to take a 6-0 lead. The two long balls were hit by Taylor Branstad and Dylan Dresel.
Upper Iowa got two runs back in the bottom of the third to cut the margin back to four, 6-2.
Eric Cottrell led off with a walk and moved to second when the Mavericks misplayed a sac bunt by
Sam Broome. Luis Ravelo followed with a beautiful bunt down the third base line to load the bases with no outs. Minnesota State turned a double play, but the runners at second and third couldn't advance because Ravelo was called for interference heading into second.
Jacob Greco singled past the MSU third baseman to plate two runs before a strikeout ended the rally.
Minnesota State wouldn't let the momentum turn as they scored four more runs in the top of the fourth inning thanks to another home run from Luke Waldek and a two-run single off the bat of Ryan Moffett.
Sawyer Bawek came on in relief and closed out the frame without allowing any more damage.
UIU put runners on second and third with two out in the bottom of the fourth when the skies opened up and forced a rain delay of more than an hour. When play resumed, George was on third and Cottrell stood at second. The Peacocks loaded the bases when Luis Ravelo was hit by a pitch but a liner caught by the Maverick shortstop ended the rally.
After Minnesota State scored a run in the top of the fifth inning, the Peacocks loaded the bases again with two outs thanks to a pair of singles by Greco and Janssen and a walk to
Emmett Kulick. UIU scored on a wild pitch to push the margin back to eight, 11-3.
The Mavericks put the game away in the sixth and seventh innings with five runs in each frame to take a 21-3 lead into the bottom of the seventh. After the seventh the game ended due to the NSIC's run rule, but couldn't have gone any further due to a loss of light after the rain delay.
Jordan Kearns (0-1) took the loss after starting and allowing three runs on five hits in his 2.1 innings on the mound. In total, UIU used six pitchers and all got touched up for at least two runs in the contest.
Brody Rodning (4-1) got the win with 5 innings of work; he allowed 3 runs on 7 hits while striking out 9 Peacock batters.
Greco and Kearns each had two hits in the second game.
The Peacocks will be back on the road for a four-game series against the Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State University this Saturday and Sunday, Apr. 23-24.
