The Peacock baseball team dropped a pair of low scoring affairs in Bismarck, N.D. to the Marauders of the University of Mary on Sunday. Less than 24 hours after the Upper Iowa bats scorched the U-Mary pitchers for 19 runs in a pair of wins, the Marauder pitchers kept UIU out of sync and led the home team to wins by scores of 3-1 and 4-2. U-Mary improves to 7-22 overall and 3-17 in the Northern Sun Conference, while UIU falls to 12-14 overall and 8-10 in the NSIC.
The Peacocks put a baserunner on the paths in each of their seven innings at the plate, but only once scratched a run on the scoreboard in game one. Upper Iowa had their leadoff man reach base in the second, third and fourth innings by walk and in the fifth with a single, but came up empty in all four instances.
While the UIU bats were quiet, the Marauders did their damage early. After an error and a balk led to an unearned run in the first, Peacock starter
Brett Fanning had to work out of multiple jams in the second inning. The right hander and the Upper Iowa defense got around a leadoff double and cut down a run at the plate with the bases loaded, but a single down the left field line by Andrew Beyer plated two Marauders to give the home team a 3-0 advantage.
After allowing the three runs on five hits in the first two innings, Fanning buckled down and shut down the U-Mary lineup allowing just one hit over his final four innings on the hill.
Upper Iowa scored their lone run in the sixth inning when
Zackary Cain singled with two outs and moved to second on a walk to
Mitch Moser.
Colton Janssen drove in the run with a single, but the inning ended when Moser was picked off of third base.
Nicholas Stobbe earned the win for U-Mary to improve to 2-3 with 6 innings of work allowing just one run on five hits. Chris Scott picked up the save after throwing the seventh and striking out two Peacocks. Fanning dropped to 3-2 on the season, but dropped his season's earned run average to 3.00. Janssen had two hits for UIU.
In the second game, the Peacocks sent
Tyus Adkins to the bump in his first action since a complete-game shutout of St. Cloud State last Sunday. U-Mary didn't waste any time scoring a pair of runs in the first inning on four hits and a Peacock error with a pair of rbi-singles.
Both Adkins and Alec DeMaria took control of the game putting goose eggs up on the scoreboard inning after inning. The offense finally broke through for Upper Iowa in the seventh inning.
Nick Kleitsch opened the seventh with a pinch-hit walk and moved to second after a sac bunt. A defensive error by U-Mary allowed Kleitsch to score from second and pull UIU within one, 2-1. The Marauders went to the bullpen to quiet the Peacock rally and recorded the final two outs of the frame and maintain their lead.
U-Mary turned momentum in the bottom of the seventh with a pair of runs on two hits. With two on and one out, the Peacocks went to the pen as well and brought in
Tanner Poor. Lane Huck knocked a single into centerfield to plate two insurance runs for the Marauders and give the team a 4-1 lead.
The Peacocks got one run back in the eighth on an
Alex George sac fly to center that scored Luis Ravelo and then Upper Iowa loaded the bases with only one out. UIU couldn't push any more runs across as a lineout and ground out ended the rally.
Upper Iowa had one more shot with runners on second and third and two out in the ninth, but
Alex George shot found the centerfielder's glove and ended the game at 4-2.
Adkins fell to 1-4 after throwing 6.1 innings and allowing four runs, three earned, while striking out seven Marauders. DeMaria improved to 1-1 with 6.1 innings of work allowing just one hit and working around six walks. Cory Dixon earned a save with 1.2 innings of work to hold the Peacocks off.
Only
Anthony Calton and George picked up base hits in the second game.
The Peacocks will return home next week for six games tightly packed into five days. Upper Iowa will host the Warriors of Winona State University in a double header on Tuesday, Apr. 11 at 1:30 p.m. UIU will then welcome the Golden Eagles of the University of Minnesota Crookston on Friday and Saturday, Apr. 14-15 in a four-game series.
