The Peacocks (15-26, 11-19 NSIC) split a pair of Northern Sun Conference games on the road against the #22 Vikings of Augustana University (32-12, 23-5). UIU took a 7-0 lead in the first game and held on for a one-run victory, but the home team rallied in the second game with a pair of home runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie and then walk-off with the victory 10-9.
Upper Iowa scored in three straight innings from the second to the fourth innings staking their starter,
Collin Thomas, to a 7-0 lead heading to the fifth inning. In the second inning, Jacob Stenberg and
Emmett Kulick both drove in runs with singles as UIU scored a pair of runs on three hits.
Alex George doubled in a run down the leftfield line in the third inning and later scored on a wild pitch to put the Peacocks ahead 4-0.
Cody Booker pushed the lead to 6-0 with a two-run homer to centerfield in the fourth frame. Following the home run,
Anthony Calton tripled to center and came home when
Jacob Greco, who walked, stole second base and the throw never came back to the plate to get Calton.
Augustana began to cut into the 7-0 defecit in the bottom of the fifth inning with three runs on three hits and two Peacock errors. UIU loaded the bases with one out in the top of the sixth, but came up empty. The Vikings took advantage and held the momentum scoring three more runs on four hits to cut the gap to just one run, 7-6, with two outs.
Ross Kulick relieved Thomas and induced a ground out to end the inning without allowing the Peacocks to surrender the lead.
UIU loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh looking for some insurance, but a force out at home and a line drive, double play ended the threat before it had time to develop.
The Peacocks did committ an error in the bottom of the seventh, but Kulick finished off the Vikings to earn the save and preserve the win for Upper Iowa.
Thomas (2-3) threw 5.2 innings allowing six runs, three were earned, on 9 hits while striking out 5 Viking batters. Kulick threw 1.1 innings to grab his first save of the year.
In the second game, the Vikings were the first team on the scoreboard with three runs on five hits off UIU starter
Tanner Poor.
Upper Iowa's rally began in the top of the third without a hit. Greco walked, stole second and then advanced to third on a throwing error while trying to steal. Greco came home on a sac fly to center by Kulick. In the fourth inning, the Peacocks tied the game with an rbi-double to center by
Eric Cottrell and a run-scoring single to left off the bat of Greco.
The bats stayed hot for UIU in the fifth with a two-run home run by George to left centerfield giving the road team a 5-3 lead. The Peacocks made it a 6-3 lead when
Colton Janssen chased Jacob Stenberg to the plate.
After Augie cut the gap to one again, 6-5, the Peacocks made it 7-5 thanks to alert and aggressive baserunnning by
Emmett Kulick. In the seventh, Upper Iowa put another run on the board in the seventh when Cottrell hit a sac fly to right field sending George home to make it 8-5.
Three runs by the Vikings in the bottom of the seventh on just two hits and a pair of walks. The runs tied the game at 8-8, but
Cody Booker homered for the second time on the day in the top of the eighth to put Upper Iowa back out in front, 9-8.
The Vikings got a pair of runners on base in the eighth, but UIU got out of the jam without allowing a run.
Leading 9-8, the Peacocks went to the final half inning of action just three outs away from sweeping a pair of games from their nationally-ranked hosts. Unfortunately, the Vikings got a third shot at
Ross Kulick in the series and didn't miss this time. Patrick O'Donnell homered to open the inning, and after a strikeout, Patrick Fiala delivered a win to his clientelle for the night, 10-8.
Kulick suffers the loss, while
Tanner Poor receives the no-decision after five innings of work. Poor allowed 5 runs on 11 hits while striking out 3 batters.
Upper Iowa will be at home this week for six games as they close out the regular season in the Northern Sun Conference. The Peacocks will challenge the Warriors of Winona State University at Robertson Woods Field on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. before welcoming the Wildcats of Wayne State College on Friday and Saturday.
