Keaton Parker (3-3) scored his second-straight win on the mound for the Peacock baseball team throwing a three-hit, 14-strikeout complete game against Wayne State College. Upper Iowa, who won the series finale 3-2, snapped a five-game slide with the win coming out on the right side of the tight decision. UIU is now 12-21 overall and 8-14 in the NSIC, while WSC drops to 17-17 overall and 11-9 in the conference.
Upper Iowa wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning.
Ryan Hull opened the frame with a single up the middle and moved to third on a double to the gap in right off the bat of
Brendan Coffindaffer. A sac fly by
Ethan Sawyer allowed the first run to score and a single to right by
Brock Zimmer brought in the second to give Parker and the Peacocks an early cushion. UIU scored their third run in the second inning. With two outs and runners on first and second, Sawyer singled to left and
Dylan McVeigh, who singled to right earlier, raced home from second.
Parker worked around a single by the Wildcats in the second inning and a double with one out in the third inning; the right-hander from Vinton, Iowa cruised through the first eight innings allowing just the two hits with one walk while striking out 13 of the 27 batters he faced.
In the ninth inning, Parker walked a Wildcat and then with one out, Colin Lynam hit a home run to right to bring the visitors within one on the scoreboard. Parker refocused and recorded his 14th strikeout and then got the final out on a foul flyball.
In the game, Parker registered season-best marks in innings pitched, runs allowed and strikeouts and tied his season-bests of three hits and two earned runs. His 14 punchouts are a new career-best, two better than last season's 12 during his seven no-hit innings against Concordia University, St. Paul.
Nathan Anderson (2-4) took the loss but threw well for Wayne State with eight innings of work. He allowed three runs on nine hits and struck out six Peacocks.
At the plate, Sawyer had two hits with two runs batted in.
The Peacocks are scheduled to host Concordia University, St. Paul next Wednesday, Apr. 19 at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. in a Northern Sun Conference double header. UIU will then head out on the road for a weekend series against Augustana University on Saturday and Sunday, Apr. 22-23.
