The Upper Iowa baseball team split a pair of Northern Sun Conference games against Wayne State College. The Wildcats won game one 10-7, while the Peacocks claimed game two 10-5. The two games were originally scheduled to be played in Fayette on Wednesday, but the games were pushed back a day and moved west to Wayne, Nebraska due to predicted weather in northeast Iowa. The Peacock offense scored 17 runs on the day fueled by 25 hits, while Alexander Morales put together a solid start in game two. 

Upper Iowa has one series left on the regular season schedule on Friday and Saturday, May 3-4 in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Peacocks and No. 25 Vikings of Augustana University will get together for a double header on Friday beginning at 4 p.m. and a single, nine-inning game on Saturday at 12 p.m.

Game One: Wayne State 10 - Upper Iowa 7

The Peacocks jumped out to an early 6-0 lead thanks to an explosive second inning. The scoring was highlighted by a Jake Dale triple down the right field line that scored Kyle Routhieaux and Emmett Kulick. Tony Salato plated a run with a sac fly and AJ Friedrich doubled down the left field line to drive in Zackary Cain. Hogan Penny drove in the final two runs of the inning with a single to left sending Riley Braughton and Friedrich to the plate.

Wayne State got four runs back in the third inning thanks to a two-run single and a two-run triple to the gap in right center. The Wildcats cut loose in the sixth inning scoring six runs on six hits and a pair of Peacock errors to storm out to a 10-6 lead. 

In UIU's final trip to the plate in the seventh, Dale registered his third run batted in with a single to left  to plate Kulick and cut the gap to three, 10-7. The UIU rally ended without any more runs scoring as Wayne State secured the win.

Cade Hermann (5-1) got the win in relief with 2 innings of work, while Andrew Staebell scored his fourth save while getting the final out.

Logan DeWulf (1-4) suffered the loss after 5.1 innings as UIU's starter. The sophomore allowed eight runs, six earned, on eight hits. 

Jack Thode and Dale both picked up a pair of hits, while eight Peacocks recorded hits in the game.

Game Two: Upper Iowa 10 - Wayne State 5

The Wildcats were the first to score in game two putting a run on the board in top of the first without a hit due to a pair of Peacock errors. 

Upper Iowa was able to tie the game in the bottom of the second when Dale continued his productive day with a ground ball to send Hogan Penny to the plate. Penny singled to center, stole second and then moved to third on a Routhieaux single.

Salato made it 3-1 in favor of the Peacocks with a single to right center that sent Routhieaux and Dale to the dish. In the fifth inning, UIU extended their lead from two to five after Routhieaux doubled down the left field line and sent two Peacocks home and Thode singled home a third run in the frame to put Upper Iowa ahead 6-1.

After Wayne State got a run back in the sixth inning, UIU answered with a run in the seventh to retake their five-run advantage, 7-2. Routhieaux singled to right field for to chase Kulick to the plate. 

WSC cut the gap to 7-4 with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth; both runs were unearned after an error on the Peacocks. 

During the bottom of the eighth, UIU took advantage of three hits and two Wildcat errors to score three runs and move out to a 10-4 lead. Salato hit an rbi-single to score Dale and scored later in the inning when the Wildcats threw a pickoff away. Friedrich was able to single up the middle to drive in UIU's final run of the day.

Wayne State scored the game's final run in the top of the ninth to set the final score at 10-5.

Alex Morales (3-4) scored the win with 5.2 innings; he allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits while striking out seven batters. Clayton Lieb and Mac Wolfe each threw 1.2 innings of relief to preserve the lead.

Ryan Obrecht (7-1) suffered his first loss of the season going just 3.1 innings and allowing three runs on six hits while striking out four.

Routhieaux and Friedrich led the team at the plate with three hits apiece, while Salato, Cain and Dale each had two hits.