Upper Iowa baseball dropped a pair of games at Minot State University in Minot, N.D. on Saturday by scores of 5-1 and 6-4. After the two losses, the Peacocks fell to 4-17 overall and 2-8 in the NSIC, while the Beavers improved to 14-13 overall and 8-4 in the conference.
The Peacocks opened the top of the second inning of game one with a pair of walks and a perfect bunt by
Samuel Grushkin to load the bases with no outs, but Ricky Apodaca got out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts and a ground ball to keep UIU off the scoreboard.
UIU got on the scoreboard in the third inning after
Ryan Hull led the frame off with a single. Hull stole second and moved to third on a ground ball.
Jake Hilmer drove Hull in with a fielder's choice and then advanced to second on the errant throw to the plate. After a ground out and a walk, the Peacocks had runners at the corners with two outs, but another strikeout stranded a pair on base.
Minot State answered with three runs in the bottom of the third on a pair of hits, as well as a wild pitch on a strike three swing and a passed ball with a runner on third. The Beavers added two more runs on two hits, a wild pitch and a passed ball in the fifth to extend their lead to 5-1.
UIU left two runners on base in both the fifth and sixth innings pushing the day's total to 10 including four on third base and four more on second base on the final out.
UIU starter
Jarrett Ramer (0-5) suffered the loss throwing four innings and allowing five runs, three earned, on five hits with two strikeouts.
Brady Stevens threw two innings of relief with two strikeouts.
Apodaca (3-2) scored the win with five innings of work; the Beaver starter allowed just one run on three hits while striking out nine Peacocks. Branden Hatley preserved the win with two innings of relief allowing a hit and posting three strikeouts.
After Minot State took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a two-run homer by Kaiden Cardoso, the Peacocks rallied to tie the game with two runs in the top of the second. Three straight singles by
Kainoa Torres, Grushkin and
Tanner Stein after
Ethan Sawyer was hit by a pitch to open the frame resulted in the first run on Stein's RBI-hit to right field.
Ryan Hull walked with two outs to push a second run across the plate and knot the score at 2-2.
In the third, UIU took a 3-2 lead when Hilmer reached on a single, stole second and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Torres. Hilmer scored on a wild pitch.
Minot State retook the lead with three runs on five hits in the fourth inning. The big inning was highlighted by a leadoff homer by Drew Behling, a double by Kellen Peat and a two-run shot by Declan Buckle to lead 5-3. The Beavers loaded the bases after the second homer, but
Keaton Parker was able to shut the inning down with a strikeout for the final out.
Upper Iowa cut the margin to one, 5-4, with an RBI-double by
Cael Luzum in the sixth inning that plated Stein, who reached with a single through the left side. In the seventh, Sawyer singled through the right side and Nicholas Vite attempted to score the tying run from second but was thrown out at the plate for the final out.
In the eighth, Buckle homered down the right field line for his second long ball of the game and pushed the home team's lead back to two, 6-4.
Parker (0-5) took the loss for UIU allowing five runs in his four innings of work on seven hits.
Gunnar Foegen threw four innings of relief and allowed just one run on three hits to the Beavers.
Zach Newman (1-1) earned the win in relief with 3.2 innings on the hill; he allowed just one run on three hits.
Stein led the Peacock bats on the day with four hits including three singles and a double, one RBI and one run scored.
Upper Iowa and Minot State will close out their three-game series on Sunday with a single, nine-inning contest beginning at 12 p.m. in Minot, North Dakota.
After the game, UIU will return as a change of plans has been announced for next week's midweek double header with Bemidji State University. The Peacocks and Beavers will now play on Tuesday in Fayette beginning at 12 p.m. at Robertson Woods Field. The site reversal was due to field conditions in Bemidji and the date change was due to forecasted rains in Iowa on Wednesday.
