The Peacock baseball team earned a split through the first two games of the series on Saturday evening in Sioux Falls, S.D. against the Wolves of Northern State University. Upper Iowa and NSU originally were scheduled to play in Fayette, but weather in northeast Iowa forced the games west to Karras Park Home of Ronken Field on Augustana University's campus. UIU picked up a game-one win behind a complete game from Zachary Cain, and the Wolves followed it with a big 11-2 win in game two to earn the split.
 
With the split, Upper Iowa is now 6-8 overall and 2-4 in the Northern Sun Conference. Northern State sits at 7-7 overall and 1-1 to start league play. UIU and NSU will meet on Sunday evening in Sioux Falls to close out the series. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 5 p.m.
 
Game One
The Wolves struck first in the opening game against Cain, plating a run in the top of the first inning. Ben Allen put together an rbi-infield hit to second base to put the visitors up 1-0, but Cain would hold Northern State to one and get out of the jam. Upper Iowa answered in the home half of the first, when Colton Janssen ripped an rbi-double into right center to score Anthony Calton to tie the game at one.
 
After a one-two-three second for Cain, UIU went back to work at the dish with a pair of triples. Jacob Greco led off the inning with a three-bagger to right center, and Emmett Kulick followed it up with an identical at-bat to plate Greco and give Upper Iowa its first lead. Dominic Hillesheim flied out to center for a sacrifice to score Kulick and the home team led 3-1 after two.
 
Cain would face the minimum from the final out of the first inning all the way through the sixth inning, facing a span of 16 batters. The Peacock right-hander allowed three hits over that span, but induced three double plays to help face the minimum. Upper Iowa's defense was stellar in the field behind Cain as well all evening.
 
Leading 3-1, Alex George changed that in the bottom half of the fifth inning. The Bloomington, Minn. native crushed a two-out, two-run home run to left field to open up the lead to 5-1, and that was all the run support Cain would need. Northern State scored on a fielder's choice in the top of the seventh, but it was not enough as Cain improved to 2-1 on the mound this season.
 
Cain scattered five hits in the complete game, allowing the two earned runs while striking out two and walking one. It was the second complete game of the season for the Plymouth, Wis. native. Calton led the way at the plate for UIU, going 3-3 with two runs scored on the night.
 
Game Two
Northern State responded well at the plate in game two off Peacock starter Tyus Adkins. The Wolves opened up the lead in the third inning with a grand slam from Lucas Lorenz to lead 4-0. Adkins lasted 3.0 innings, allowing four runs on three hits in the outing.
 
Head Coach Brandon Hunt brought in Tanner Poor for an inning of relief, while Jay Kiel, Nate Skare, and Parker Kray all saw time on the bump in game two as well. Northern State scored a run on a wild pitch in the fourth inning, and added five runs in the sixth after sending 10 batters to the plate. The Wolves led 10-0 heading to the bottom of the sixth, but a pass ball in the inning allowed Upper Iowa to get on the board.
 
NSU added one more in the eighth to bring the score to its eventual final, 11-1. Calton and Janssen each tallied two hits in game two to lead all Peacocks at the dish.