The Peacocks and Bulldogs of the University of Minnesota Duluth got together for their Northern Sun Conference openers in Quincy, Illinois on Saturday. The series was originally scheduled to be played in Fayette, but Robertson Woods Field wasn't not quite ready to host games. The Bulldogs took advantage of 14 walks, 5 errors and 2 hit batters to score 14 runs on just 12 hits and claim of pair of wins, 9-8 and 5-2, over the Peacocks, who generated 17 hits including three home runs. UMD improved to 4-5 on the year, while UIU dropped to 2-4.

The two teams will meet again tomorrow at QU Stadium for a pair of games beginning at 12 p.m. The first game will be a nine-inning game and will wrap the conference portion of the series with the final seven-inning game counting on the non-conference side of the ledger.

Game One: Minnesota Duluth 9 - Upper Iowa 8

Kyle Routhieaux gave the Peacocks an early boost with a three-run homer to right center field in the first inning. Zackary Cain and Tony Salato both scored after reaching with singles.

The Bulldogs used an error in the Peacock outfield on a flyball in the sun paired with a Reid Rubio rbi-double to cut the deficit to 3-1 in the top of the second. After UMD's leadoff hitter reached on an error in the third, the Bulldogs tied the game at 3-3 with a two-run blast off the bat of Ben Danielson with two outs.

Upper Iowa exploded for five runs on three hits and a UMD error in the bottom of the third to jump out to an 8-3 lead. The big inning was highlighted by rbi-singles from A.J. Friedrich and Routhieaux and a sac fly off the bat of Steve Diderrich Jr. 

Minnesota Duluth did not let UIU stay with their lead for long. The Bulldogs scored five runs of their own in the top of the fourth on five hits and a Peacock error that extended the inning allowing the four unearned runs to score and tie the game at 8-8. Back-to-back doubles by Drew Stewart and Tyler Wojciechowski fueled the big inning.

McCale Peterson tripled for UMD to begin the top of the fifth and came home when Eric Yachinich drove him in with a ground out. 

The offense for both squads went silent to the bottom of the seventh with UIU still trailing 9-8. Cole Scieszinski doubled to the wall in right center to lead off the frame and moved to third on a fly to center by Cain. UIU couldn't push the tying run across the plate as the threat ended with a strikeout and ground out.

Alexander Morales suffered the loss to fall to 1-1 on the season after allowing nine runs, although only two were earned, in five innings on the mound. Chris Webber threw the final two innings and allowed one hit. The two pitchers combined for seven strikeouts with Morales registering four.

Evan Vick earned the win for UMD in relief after throwing three innings and allowing just one hit and striking out three. Peterson got his first save of the season with the scoreless seventh inning.

Cain had three hits for UIU, while Routhieaux added a pair and drove in four runs.

Game Two: UMD 5 - UIU 2

The Bulldogs scored three runs in the top of the first inning without recording a hit after a fielding error and two walks loaded the bases with no outs. A wild pitch, fly out and ground out allowed the three runners to cross the plate and give UMD the early lead. 

Riley Braughton homered to leftfield leading off the second inning to cut the gap to 3-1.  UIU threatened in the first with a pair of hits, but Minnesota Duluth stranded the pair before the Peacocks could come home.

Another run without a hit for the Bulldogs came in the third inning when four walks were issued amongst a pair of outs. UIU's starter Colin Lacey got out of his own jam with a strikeout to escape with the bases loaded.

Cain cut the margin back to two runs, 4-2, again in the bottom of the fifth with a solo jack to right centerfield for his fifth hit of the day.

The Bulldogs added an insurance run in the top of the eighth after a fielding error and passed ball placed a runner at second with no outs. Anders Brown delivered the runner home with a double to the gap in left center to push the lead to 5-2. 

Lacey took the loss after throwing three innings and allowing four runs, three earned. The southpaw only allowed one hit, but put six on base with walks. Clayton Lieb worked two innings and Parker Kray one without allowing a run or hit. Logan DeWulf gave up an unearned run in 1.2 innings, while Mac Wolfe got a strikeout with his only batter and Blake Thiesse faced the minimum in the ninth. Overall the pitchers gave up only three hits in the game.

Rece Dietrich got the win for UMD after five innings allowing two runs on six hits. Sean Flaherty got the save with a perfect ninth.

Friedrich and Braughton each picked up three hits for UIU in the second game, while Cain added two more. Diderrich was the only other Peacock to register a hit in the game.