The Peacock baseball team dropped a pair of games at home to open their three-game series with the Wildcats of Wayne State College on Friday. WSC scored a 10-8 win in game one as the teams combined for 18 runs on 18 hits including a wild first inning. The Wildcats then grabbed a 12-5 win in game two rallying from a 3-2 deficit in the sixth inning to score 10 runs in the final four innings. After the games, UIU fell to 11-21 overall and 7-14 in the NSIC, while Wayne State moved to 17-16 overall and 11-8 in the conference.
In game one, both teams scored five runs in their half of the first inning fueled by a pair of big home runs. Trey Wells hit a three-run home run in the top of the inning to highlight the scoring outburst.
Upper Iowa scored the five of their own runs in the bottom of the first thanks to a walk with the bases loaded by
Tanner Stein and a grand slam over the left field fence off the bat of
JJ Vargas.
An RBI-double by
Ethan Sawyer in the second inning pushed the home team ahead 6-5, but the Wildcats answered with the tying run in the top of the third on a double down the left field line. Two more runs for the Wildcats gave the visitors an 8-6 lead, but a solo homer to left by
Samuel Grushkin cut the lead in half after the fourth inning.
In the fifth inning, Wayne State extended their lead to three, 10-7, with a pair of runs on two hits and a walk.
The Peacocks got the tying run to the plate in the seventh inning when Sawyer doubled with two outs and came home on a
Brock Zimmer RBI-single center. The final out came on a flyball in foul territory to end the UIU rally.
Corbin Kirk (2-3) secured the complete game win with seven innings of work; he allowed eight runs on eight hits and struck out 12 batters.
Kyle Hrncir (2-4) suffered the loss allowing eight runs on eight hits with four strikeouts in his four innings on the hill.
Isaiah Maes threw a pair of scoreless innings in relief to give UIU's offense a chance in the final innings. Both Sawyer and Zimmer each had a pair of hits in the game.
In game two, the Wildcats got a run in the second and third innings to slowly move out to a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Peacocks got singles from
Victor Plaz, Zimmer and
Cael Luzum to score one run then added a run on a Wildcat error and one on a ground out to first. Zimmer, Vargas and Grushkin all picked up runs batted in during the frame.
The 3-2 lead held until the sixth inning when the Wildcats tallied three hits with two walks to score three runs and chase starter
Jarrett Ramer from the game. Ramer left with the score tied and 11 strikeouts under his belt, but left two on base that came around to score in the inning.
Trailing 5-3, the Peacocks scored a run on a balk after a pair of singles by
Justin Baehler and
Cael Luzum to open the sixth inning. A pair of quick foul flyballs threw a wrench into UIU's plans and the inning ended a routine fly to center.
Wayne State scored a run on three hits in the seventh inning, but the home team was able to score again in the bottom of the seventh when the Wildcats made a fielding miscue in the outfield on a double by Baehler that allowed Sawyer to score from first.
The Wildcats took their slim 6-5 lead and made it 7-5 with a run in the eighth and then ran away with five more runs in the ninth inning highlighted by another Wells home run and five other hits for WSC.
UIU loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninJacobth, but couldn't get any runs across the plate.
Jacob Kneifl (1-0) scored the win in relief with 2.2 innings allowing a run on three hits. Kolt Davis got the save throwing the final 1.2 innings with two strikeouts.
Ramer took the loss despite the 11 punchouts allowing five runs on nine hits in his 5.2 innings.
Austin Shingledecker gave up six runs on 10 hits in his 2.2 innings of relief.
Luzum picked up three hits in the second game, while Zimmer, Baehler and
Ryan Hull all had two hits in the contest.
Upper Iowa and Wayne State will line up against each other for the series finale on Saturday at 12 p.m. in Fayette at Robertson Woods Field.
