The Peacocks and Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State University split a double header in Fayette on Sunday afternoon. The teams met at Robertson Woods Field in a pair of games with SMSU in the role of home team; the series was moved to Fayette due to field conditions in Marshall, Minn. UIU won game two, 12-3, to move to 7-10 overall and 4-8 in the Northern Sun, while SMSU's 2-0 win in game one gave them a record of 4-13 overall and 3-9 in conference.
SMSU benefited from an outstanding start from John Bezdicek in game one and timely hitting on offense. Upper Iowa powered their way to a dominant in win in game two pounding out 15 hits including 4 doubles and a pair of home runs.
Duncan Snider took a hard luck loss in game one going the distance and only surrendering one earned run in game one, while
Blake Thiesse scored the win in game two with a solid seven innings of work.
Upper Iowa is scheduled to head north for their next five NSIC matchups. The Peacocks will travel to Minot State University for a pair of games on Wednesday, Apr. 3 and then line up against the University of Minnesota Crookston on Saturday and Sunday, Apr. 6-7.
Game One: Southwest Minnesota State 2 - Upper Iowa 0
John Bezdicek was in control for the Mustangs from the outset in game one. The Mustang lefthander struck out seven straight Peacocks from the first through third innings and finished the contest with 14 strikeouts including the final two Peacock batters with the tying run on base in the top of the seventh inning.
Trailing 2-0 in the top of the seventh, the Peacocks got a leadoff single to left off the bat of
Emmett Kulick and A.J. Friedrich followed and got his by a breaking ball to give UIU runners on first and second with no outs. After a bunt left runners at first and third, Bezdicek got strikeout number 13, but UIU was able to move both runners into scoring position. The 14th and final strikeout from Bezdicek ended the threat and earned the southpaw a complete game shutout.
SMSU scored a run in the bottom of the second inning when three straight well-placed, groundball singles. The first from Jayden Fleck snuck through the left side, the second was perfectly placed to the right side on a hit-and-run by Tanner Strommen and the rbi-single came up the middle off the bat of Brady Lanoue.
The Mustangs added an uneanred insurance run in the bottom of the sixth after a pair of Peacock errors on the infield.
Duncan Snider suffered the tough luck loss to fall to 1-2 on the year despite throwing all six innings and allowing just one earned run on 4 hits while striking out 7 batters.
Bezdicek held the Peacocks to just three hits and a walk while posting strikeouts for 14 of the 21 outs he needed in the game.
Game Two: Upper Iowa 12 - Southwest Minnesota State3
In the third inning, SMSU scratched the scoreboard for an unearned run thanks to a leadoff walk and a throwing error on a bunt well-placed bunt to third. The run scored on a sacrifice bunt by Andy Andresen.
Zackary Cain picked up his second hit of the day in the top of the fourth when he launched a solo homer over the fence in right field to tie the score at 1-1. UIU kept the pressure on in the frame with three straight singles from Kulick,
Hogan Penny and Friedrich. Penny's single brought in Kulick to push the Peacocks ahead 2-1. A pair of errors on the Mustang third baseman allowed
Steve Diderrich Jr. to reach and both runners to score unearned runs with two outs giving UIU a 4-1 lead.
The Mustangs got one run back in the bottom of the frame after a leadoff hit by Lanoue, a hit batter and a sac bunt from Matt Bezdicek put runners at second and third with one out. A sac fly by Nathan Kuhn sent Lanoue home and cut the margin to two, 4-2.
A pair of doubles by
Riley Braughton and Diderrich put runners on second and third with no outs in the seventh inning.
Cole Scieszinski drew a walk to load the bases.
Jack Thode picked up an rbi on a ground ball to third to drive in a run and reached thanks to an error on the play leaving the bases loaded.
Tony Salato plated another Peacock run with a sac fly to the wall in center and Cain drove in a run with a perfectly-placed double in no-man's land behind third base. Kulick cleared the bases with a three-run home run to right putting the Peacocks ahead 10-2. In total, the Peacocks sent 10 batters to the plate scoring six runs on 5 hits and a Mustang error.
After the Mustangs scored a run in the eighth inning, the Peacocks answered with two runs in the top of the ninth on a pair of hits including a double from Kulick and one from Braughton.
Blake Thiesse scored his first collegiate win after an eight-inning, no-decision in his last outing against Northern State University. Thiesse went seven innings and scattered six hits allowing two runs, one was earned, while striking out three Mustangs.
Greg Glass allowed a run in the eighth inning, but recorded a strikeout, while
Mac Wolfe threw a scoreless ninth and got a strikeout to end the game.
After only 3 hits in the first game, UIU racked up 15 hits including 3 by Cain and Kulick and a pair from A.J. Friedrich, Braughton and Scieszinski. Kulick had three RBI, while Cain drove in two; both batters had a home run and a double.
