The Peacock baseball team earned its first NSIC doubleheader sweep of the season on Sunday night in Sioux Falls, S.D. against the Northern State Wolves. The games were played at Karras Park Home of Ronken Field on Augustana University's campus due to rain in northeast Iowa. UIU won the weekend series 3-1 behind another outstanding performance from Brett Fanning in game one of the doubleheader. In game two, the Peacocks came back from a 4-3 deficit with four runs in the bottom of the eighth to earn the sweep. With the wins, Upper Iowa improves to 8-8 overall and 4-4 in the Northern Sun Conference. Northern State drops to 8-8 and 1-3 in league play.

UIU will return to Sioux Falls, S.D. in 72 hours to take on the Augustana University Vikings on Wednesday, Mar. 29 for a mid-week doubleheader. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon.

Game One
Fanning was outstanding on the mound once again on Sunday night, posting his second straight complete game. The redshirt junior allowed just one run on three hits while striking out three and walking one. Fanning did not need much run support, but got a big four-run third inning to help Upper Iowa to a 5-1 win in the opening game.

The Peacocks got the scoring started the bottom of the second inning. After Jacob Greco led off the inning with a single, and a walk and fielder's choice moved runners to the corners, Luis D. Ravelo-Herrera rolled an rbi-single up the middle give the home team an early 1-0 advantage. Northern State responded in the top of the third with a solo home run to left center. With the score tied, Upper Iowa would come to bat looking to reclaim the lead. UIU would answer in a big way.

The bottom of the third began with a foul out, but a hit by pitch for Colton Janssen and a single by Zachary Cain put runners at first and second with one out. One batter later, Greco stepped back up and ripped an rbi-double to center for his second hit of the game to put the Peacocks up 2-1. With Callahan Seehase up, a wild pitch from Northern State starting pitcher Louie Carlos would allow Cain to score to put UIU up by two. Seehase would then single to center field to plate Greco and extend the lead to 4-1, forcing Carlos out the game. However, UIU was not done. Dominic Hillesheim singled through the right side to put runners at the corners. The next batter, Mitch Moser, would then double to left center to complete the four-run, five-hit inning.

Fanning was effective the entire game, facing four more than the minimum in game one. Northern State threatened with a runner on third in the fifth, but the right-hander got out of it. In the sixth inning after a leadoff single, Fanning induced a double play to end the threat. UIU prevailed 5-1 in the opener and Fanning improved to 3-0 on the season. Greco led the Peacocks with a pair of hits, and four different batters picked up an RBI in the game as well.

Game Two
Ryan Munoz got the start in the final game of the series, and the lefty delivered with his best outing of the season. The Isabela, Puerto Rico native went six strong innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with a remarkable 13 strikeouts and just one walk in the game. However, Munoz would pick up the no decision with the game tied at three when he was replaced by Mitch Silberstein. Moser would come in to pitch the final two innings to pick up the win with the Peacocks coming back late to win the game. Moser would move to 2-0 on the season on the mound.

The scoring got started in the bottom of the first inning with Cain roping a double down the left field line to score Anthony Calton. Upper Iowa took a 1-0 lead, but the Wolves would eventually take the lead in the middle innings of the game. NSU would score on a infield hit in the third to tie the game, and a two-run single in the sixth would give the visitors a 3-1 lead. The Peacocks were not done at the plate, however, in game two.

After allowing a pair of runs in the top of the inning, UIU went to work in the bottom of the sixth frame. Janssen singled through the right side to get the inning started, and two batters later, Greco launched his first home run of the season left field to tie the game at three. In the seventh, the Wolves scored on a sacrifice bunt to third base to reclaim the lead, 4-3.

In the bottom of the eighth, Upper Iowa would put together a big inning. Janssen reached on an error to start the frame, and Cain followed it up with a sacrifice bunt that turned into an error to put runners at first and second. After a pass ball put runners at second and third with no one out, Greco was intentionally walked to load the bases to get to Seehase. The junior delivered with one of the biggest at-bats of the season, doubling to left center to clear the bases and give the Peacocks a 6-4 lead. Four batters later after a pitching change, Calton singled to score Seehase and stretch the lead to 7-4.

Moser then worked a 1-2-3 inning in the ninth to seal the deal, completing the comeback win to earn the sweep. Calton and Seehase each tallied two hits in the game, while four Peacocks picked up a hit as well. The Sumner, Iowa product Seehase totaled three runs batted in while the Fayette native Greco picked up two RBIs as well.