Upper Iowa got back onto the diamond in Hammond, Ind. on Sunday afternoon for a double header with Purdue University Northwest. The Peacocks and Pride were originally scheduled for a three-game series but Friday's snow south of Lake Michigan shortened the series to just a double header. UIU claimed a 4-1 win in game one, while PNW rallied with a 7-1 victory in game two. Both teams left the yard with identical 2-4 records overall after the split.
Jarrett Ramer (2-0) scored his second straight win on the hill for Upper Iowa with help from
Austin Shingledecker and
Sam Marhefke, who registered his first save of the season. At the plate,
Ryan Hull posted a hit in each game, while
Jared Hoodjer tallied two hits in the second game.
Colin Lacey (0-2) suffered the loss after allowing three runs on five hits with three strikeouts over his four innings. The UIU bullpen couldn't keep the Pride in check over the final innings of game two, while the offense only managed eight hits on the day, but did get on base with nine walks across the 16 innings.
Upper Iowa is scheduled to return to action on Wednesday, Mar. 8 in Liberty, Mo. when they take on the Cardinals of William Jewell College in a non-conference double header.
Upper Iowa 4 – Purdue Northwest 1
The Pride struck first in the bottom of the opening frame with a run on one hit when a leadoff walk came around to score on a sac fly. The run was the only score against Ramer, Shingledecker and Marhefke on the afternoon. The trio put together an impressive seven innings on the bump scattering seven hits with nine strikeouts.
UIU went into the top of the fifth still trailing 1-0, but a pair of hits and two walks led to a big inning. After a leadoff walk to
Gabe Bombardier,
Cole Dingee pinch ran for UIU, stole second base and then moved to third on a sac bunt by
Justin Baehler. Hull drove in the tying run with a single up the middle and
Bryce Hall followed with a walk.
JJ Vargas stepped to the plate and delivered the go-ahead runs with a double to left field to score both Hull and Hall and give UIU a 3-1 lead.
The Peacocks added an extra insurance run in the top of the seventh inning when
Samuel Grushkin hit a sac fly to right to bring Hall to the plate after he singled to start the inning.
Marhefke got the final out of the sixth inning with runners on the corners to get out of a jam and then stranded one more runner in the seventh inning to grab the save.
PNW 7 – UIU 1
In game two, the Pride got on the scoreboard first again with a run after a walk and triple in the third innings. PNW added two more runs in the fourth highlighted by a rbi-single to left and a run-scoring double to right field. Lacey got a strikeout to end the inning before any more damage was done.
Upper Iowa had a chance to get something going in the top of the fifth inning after the Pride made a pitching change. Hull singled, stole second base and moved to third base on a wild pitch with two outs. After Vargas was hit by a pitch, Grushkin followed with a double to center driving in Hull and putting a pair of Peacocks in scoring position. Both runners were stranded on base with a strikeout to end the threat.
The home team blew the game open in the bottom of the eighth inning turning a 3-1 lead into a 7-1 advantage after scoring four runs on just two hits. The UIU pitchers surrendered the two singles and issued five walks including four straight across three pitchers before a ground ball double play finally ended the scoring outburst.
