The Upper Iowa baseball team split a pair of non-conference games on Friday. The Peacocks picked up a 6-5 win over Truman State University before falling in seven innings to Pittsburg State University by a 15-4 count. Collin Meinert led the Peacock offense as he went 4-6 with two RBI and scored twice between the two games.
Upper Iowa will face off against the Bulldogs and Gorillas again on Saturday, February 22 at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. respectively.
Game One: Upper Iowa 6, Truman State 5
After a scoreless first inning, Truman State scored one run following a pair of walks and a single in the top of the second. The slim lead didn't last for long as Conner Klostermann led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a solo shot to left centerfield. Meinert followed his lead with a double into the left centerfield gap. Meinert advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a ground out off the bat of A.J. Friedrich, putting the Peacocks up 2-1.
A double and an error put two ducks on the pond before Holden Missey cleared the bases with a homerun to left field that regained the lead for the Bulldogs by a 4-2 count halfway through the ballgame. Jason Katz entered in relief for Blake Thiesse in the sixth. Truman State tacked on another run in the top of the six after Jake Schneider doubled down the left field line before being brought home by a passed ball and an error.
Upper Iowa retaliated in the bottom half of the inning. Klostermann started the rally when he got aboard on an error. Meinhart followed with a double to right, which put two Peacocks in scoring position with just one out. Friedrich then singled up the middle scoring Klostermann. The Peacocks added another run when Ryan Hull singled to left scoring Meinert. The frame cut UIU's deficit down to one run as the score stood at 5-4 through six.
Upper Iowa tied things up at five in the seventh. Alex Baker singled to center before Klostermann doubled to the opposite field bringing Baker home. Upper Iowa added some insurance in the eighth. Hull reached on a walk before advancing to second on a wild pitch, to third on a Hogan Penny single and then scoring on a throwing error.
Katz put down the Bulldogs 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth to secure the victory for the Peacocks. Katz picked up the win in relief, he gave up just one unearned run in four innings of work. He also allowed only two hits and one walk while he struck out three bulldog batters. Thiesse received no decision, he gave up four runs, three of which were earned in addition to tallying four hits, four walks and four strikeouts in five innings on the mound.
Meinert went 3-3 with two doubles in the game and scored twice. Klostermann was 2-4 with a homerun, a double and two runs in his return to the diamond. Friedrich drove in two runs via a groundout and a single. Baker went 2-4 with a double.
Game Two: Truman State 15, Upper Iowa 4
Upper Iowa broke the game open in the top of the first. A pair of singles from Noah Gyldenvand and Riley Braughton followed by a Kyle Routhieaux walk loaded the bases for UIU. Meinert stayed hot with a two-out single to right center that scored Gyldenvand and Braughton.
Pitt State took the lead in the bottom of the inning. The Gorillas scored three runs after back-to-back walks, a single and a double. The Peacocks tacked on two more runs in the top of the second. Jack Thode reached on a dropped third strike before advancing to second on a balk. Gyldenvand then walked before Freidrich drove in both base runners with a double to left putting UIU ahead 4-3.
Pitt State made it four all in the bottom half of the inning when Chaz Burgess doubled to right before being brought home by a pair of groundouts. The Gorillas regained the lead in third, Pitt State loaded the bases following a single and a pair of walks. Dawson Pomeroy then tripled to centerfield clearing the bases. Four walks, a trio of balks and a hit batter scored three more putting the Gorillas up 10-4 at the end of three.
Pitt State scored two more in the sixth via a Pomeroy solo shot, a single and a double. In the bottom of the seventh the Gorillas scored three more runs following a single, a walk, an error, a balk and a double. The run rule was then put into effect ending the game at 15-4 in favor of Pitt State.
Duncan Snider was awarded the loss after giving up nine earned runs in 2.2 innings on the hill. Snider allotted five hits, five walks and four strikeouts on the day. Drew Callon tossed two scoreless innings for the Peacocks in which he tallied four strikeouts. Greg Glass, Chris Webber, Logan DeWulf and Kiley Brown also appeared in relief. Gyldenvand scored two of the Peacocks' four runs in game two.
