THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK BASEBALL… Upper Iowa is set to host the Marauders of the University of Mary and the Beavers of Bemidji State University at Robertson Woods Field in Fayette over the course of three straight days. UIU and UMary will play a nine-inning game on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. and then get back together for a double header on Monday at 12 p.m. The Peacocks and Beavers will lock up on Tuesday in a double header starting at 1:30 p.m.
LIVE OPTIONS... Both live stats and live video are available for all five games for fans who can't make it to Fayette. Fans can access the live options through the links above or by going to UIUPeacocks.com/Live on game day. Digital gameday programs will also be available for all three days at UIUPeacocks.com/Programs. Fans can also stream the games through the NSIC Network app on their favorite streaming devices.
QUICK GLANCE BACK… Last Wednesday, Upper Iowa avenged a pair of losses from a week ago prior in Liberty, Mo. The Peacocks defeated the Cardinals of William Jewel College by ten runs, 16-6, in a contest shortened to seven innings due to the run rule. William Jewell drew first blood with a run in the top of the first on two hits including an RBI-single from Jordan Phillips, but Upper Iowa was able to erase the deficit with a six-run second inning. The big inning for the Peacocks was highlighted by a grand slam off the bat of
Ethan Sawyer that followed a solo homer by
Alex Greene and a bases-loaded walk by
Ryan Hull. The Cardinals got one run back in the third inning, but the Peacocks struck again with six more runs on five hits.
Samuel Grushkin led off the inning with a double and Greene and
Cael Luzum both singled to load the bases with one out. After Grushkin scored on a wild pitch,
Justin Baehler doubled to bring in another run. Following Hull's second walk, Sawyer stepped to the plate and delivered his second grand slam in as many innings to push the Peacock lead to 12-2. William Jewell scored a quick three runs in the fourth inning with a leadoff single, a walk and a three-run homer to deep center by Kaden Owens. UIU got right back into the scoring column in the bottom of the fourth. Grushkin reached first after being hit by a pitch and stole second; Greene drove Grushkin in with a single to right and moved to second when Luzum walked with one out. Baehler singled through the left side to load the bases for
Bryce Hall. Hall delivered a two-run double off the centerfield wall for his first hit of the game and a 15-6 advantage for UIU. Both offenses cooled slightly in the fifth and sixth innings, but Grushkin broke the silence in the seventh inning with a home run to left that ended the game due to the run rule, 16-6.
Colin Lacey (1-2) picked up the win with four innings of work allowing six runs on nine hits with three strikeouts.
Sam Marhefke scored a three-inning save in relief without allowing a run on one hit with one strikeout. Greene led five players who had a multi-hit game with three; Sawyer, Grushkin, Luzum and Baehler all registered two hits apiece. Sawyer drove in eight runs thanks to his two grand slams.
BEHIND THE FEATHERS… Upper Iowa is hitting .255 as a team, but has a slugging percentage of .459 and an on-base percentage of .351. The Peacocks have registered 22 doubles, 15 home runs, 37 walks and 14 hit batsmen. UIU is averaging 6.0 runs per game, while allowing 7.1 runs per game to opponents. The pitching staff has an ERA of 7.96 allowing 69 earned runs in 78.0 innings with 66 strikeouts and 48 walks. As a team, UIU is fielding at a high level with a .976 percentage with just eight errors in their first 11 games.
PEACOCK STANDOUTS… On the mound,
Jarrett Ramer leads the team with a 2-0 record in three starts, while
Austin Shingledecker (1-0, 2.57 ERA) and
Sam Marhefke (3 Saves, 2.31 ERA) have been effective out of the bullpen.
Colin Lacey (1-2) has thrown the most innings (17.1) and picked up the win at William Jewell. At the plate,
Ryan Hull is hitting .382 with 13 hits including three doubles and two home runs and has added eight stolen bases in nine tries.
Ethan Sawyer (.351) vaulted into the team lead in RBIs with 14 after his two grand slams at William Jewell, while
Alex Greene pushed his average to .348 with three hits last Wednesday.
Bryce Hall has scored a team-high 11 runs. Upper Iowa has also been solid on the base paths creating more opportunities with 22 steals in 27 attempts.
SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS... UMary heads into the weekend with a 7-8 record through their first 15 non-conference games; although, the team is coming off of a four-game sweep of Truman State University last weekend. The Marauders are hitting .335 this season and slugging .613 with 73 extra base hits including 37 doubles, 5 triples and 31 home runs. Four players have hit at least four long balls this season.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS (courtesy of BSU Sports Communication)... Bemidji State begins conference play this weekend after going 1-14 in non-conference action and are coming off a week in Tucson, Ariz., where the Beavers went 1-6 at the Tucson Invitational Games. As a team the Beavers are hitting .258 at the plate to score a total of 71 runs.
LOOKING AHEAD… After UIU gets through these three consecutive days of games, the Peacocks are scheduled to play in Duluth, Minnesota against the Bulldogs of the University of Minnesota Duluth.
