The Peacocks split a double header with the Vikings of Augustana University on Tuesday in Sioux Falls, S.D. Upper Iowa won the first game 5-4 in extra innings (8) and nearly rallied for the sweep in game two, but dropped the nightcap 10-9. With the split, UIU moved to 9-9 overall and 5-5 in the Northern Sun Conference, while Augie pushed their record to 14-11 overall and 8-2 in the NSIC.
The Peacock offense, which scored 14 runs on 23 hits, was led by four players.
Alex George had 5 hits including a homerun and a pair of doubles with a run scored and two runs batted in, while
Jacob Greco tallied 4 hits including a pair of doubles and a homerun as well. Greco drove in four runners and crossed the plate once.
Zackary Cain also had four hits with a pair of rbi's and
Anthony Calton picked up three hits while scoring three runs and adding two rbi.
Cain came on in relief during the first game to claim his third win of the season with two innings of work.
Mitch Moser came in after UIU took the lead in the top of the eighth to close the game and earn his second save of the season. In the second game, UIU trailed 9-3 heading to the sixth inning, but rallied to tie the game at 9-9 two innings later.
Jay Kiel suffered the loss in the bottom of the seventh inning allowing an rbi-single with two outs after a leadoff single that gave the home team the walk off victory.
Upper Iowa will head to St. Cloud, Minn. this Saturday and Sunday, Apr. 1-2 to continue NSIC play. The Peacocks and Huskies of St. Cloud State University will get together for a four-game set.
Game One
UIU scored in the top of the first inning thanks to a single by Calton and a double by George. With runners on second and third,
Colton Janssen hit a deep fly to right field and picked up the sacrifice fly as Calton raced home.
Kris Ashland tied the game with a homerun to left to open the second inning, but George equaled the long ball with one of his own to left in the top of the fourth pushing the Peacocks back ahead 2-1. UIU looked to add more when a Cain single and a Greco double put runners on second and third with one out, but the Peacocks couldn't add another run.
In the bottom of the fourth Ashland, the reigning NSIC Player of the Week, homered for the second time chasing another Viking home to put Augie ahead 3-2.
Calton registered an rbi-double in the fifth inning plating Moser and later came around to score on a run-scoring single by Cain with two outs.
Leading 4-3, the Peacocks turned to Cain on the hill in the sixth inning. The sophomore righty allowed an unearned run to come across after a Peacock miscue on the infield allowed the leadoff single to move up a base. Neither team scratched out a run in the seventh as the game moved to extra innings tied at 4-4.
In the top of the eighth, Cain doubled down the left field line with one out and came home when Greco singled up the middle to give UIU a slim 5-4 advantage.
Moser came to the mound in the bottom of the inning and worked around a leadoff, hit batsmen to close the game with a pair of strikeouts to post his second save.
Game Two
The Vikings jumped all over their guests in the first inning of game two with six runs on five hits, a pair of run-scoring doubles and a three-run homerun. Augie added another run in the second inning to push their lead to 7-0 heading to the third.
In the top of the third, Upper Iowa opened the inning with four straight hits including an rbi-double from Calton and an rbi-single off the bat of George. Cain pushed the third and final run of the inning across the plate with a single to centerfield.
Both offenses stayed quiet until the bottom of the fifth when the Vikings took advantage of two Peacock errors to turn two hits into a pair of runs and a 9-3 advantage.
Upper Iowa stormed back in the top of the sixth inning with five runs on four hits. The highlight of the rally was a two-run homerun by Greco to right field. Moser added an rbi-double and Luis Ravelo closed out the scoring with a two-run longball of his own to pull the Peacocks within one, 9-8.
UIU kept the momentum in the seventh with the game-tying run as Janssen scored from second on a double to the gap in right centerfield off the bat of Greco.
Unfortunately, the Vikings scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to claim the victory. A leadoff single came around to score when Pat O'Donnell singled to left field to drive a runner in from third base.
