Upper Iowa fell to William Jewell College in the series finale on Sunday by a 7-6 final score. The Peacocks held leads of 3-0 and 6-4 in the game, but the Cardinals rallied with three runs in the over the final three innings for the series sweep.
With the loss, UIU falls to 2-6 overall with four of the losses coming by one or two runs. WJC improves to 7-2 on the season.
Cael Luzum had a no-decision after starting on the mound for UIU and throwing 4.1 innings; he allowed three runs on six hits.
Brennan Sefrit and
Blake Thiesse combined to allow three runs on six hits over 2.1 innings. Nicolas Pica suffered the loss after allowing a run in the final 1.2 innings.
Brogan McDougall got the win for the Cardinals with three innings of shutout pitching; he didn't allow a hit or run to UIU in his time on the hill. Reed Pegram took a no-decision with six innings of work and six runs, only three were earned, on nine hits.
The top of UIU's lineup combined to go 9-20 in the game, but the bottom four spots in the order went hitless in 12 at bats, although they did grab three walks.
Jerry Garcia had three hits, and
Ethan Sawyer and Nicholas Vite each had two hits. A.J. Friedrich picked up a team-high two RBI on the day.
Upper Iowa put three runs on the board in the third inning after stringing together five hits including a double from
Ryan Hull followed by four-straight singles. Vite, Sawyer and Friedrich all registered RBIs in the inning with their singles.
The Cardinals answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth and tied the game at 3-3 in the fifth inning when they turned three singles into a run. After William Jewell pulled ahead 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Peacocks rallied in the top of the seventh.
Upper Iowa took advantage of four errors by the Cardinals to score three runs without a hit. Two throwing errors on ground balls allowed the first run to score and a third throwing error on a steal attempt pushed the second run home. Friedrich hit a sacrifice fly to left field for the final run of the inning.
The home team tied the game in the bottom of the inning with two hits and a Peacock fielding error that allowed a run to score and tie the game at 6-6.
UIU got the lead run to second base in the top of the ninth, but the runner was stranded.
In the bottom of the ninth, Quincy Aldrich doubled to open the frame, moved to third on a sac bunt and came home on a single by Jonah Sanford to secure the 7-6 win for the Cardinals.
Upper Iowa will play at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside on Wednesday, Mar. 9. The Peacocks and Rangers will get together for a double header beginning at 12 p.m. in Kenosha, Wis.
