­Upper Iowa swept a pair of NSIC games on Senior Day in Fayette against Winona State to keep their postseason hopes alive. The Peacocks controlled game one, 9-4, behind a 5-2 advantage in extra-base hits including three home runs and a pair of doubles and a great pitching performance from Jarrett Ramer. The home team then rallied from a two-run deficit thanks to a huge, game-tying home run by Victor Plaz in the ninth and a sacrifice squeeze bunt by Ryan Hull in eleventh inning to secure a 9-8 win in game two. After the finals, Upper Iowa improved to 17-26 overall and 13-18 in the NSIC, while Winona State dropped to 20-23 overall and 16-12 in the conference.
 
Winona State scratched the scoreboard first in game one with a run in the top of the first, but Upper Iowa answered with a pair of runs in the second inning thanks to a RBI-double down the left field line by Ethan Sawyer and an infield single by Brock Zimmer that sent Sawyer to the plate.
 
Derek Baumgartner hit a home run to right center field in the top of the third inning with two outs to tie the game at 2-2, but the Peacocks didn't let that tie last long.
 
Upper Iowa scored two runs on a pair of hits and three Warrior errors. The inning was highlighted by a deep two-run homer to left by Zimmer after Plaz reached on a fielding error. The home team added two more runs in the fourth inning on a pair of run-scoring singles by Justin Baehler and Samuel Grushkin to extend their lead to 6-2. UIU made it three-straight innings with runs on the board in the fifth inning when they got a solo long ball to right off the bat of Cael Luzum and a two-run home run on a swing by Sawyer after Bryce Hall singled to right. All three runs came with two outs in the frame.
 
Winona State made one last charge in the top of the sixth when they scored two runs on three hits, but a strike out by Ramer to end the rally kept the Peacocks ahead 9-4 with one inning to play. WSU put two on base with two outs in the seventh, but Ramer induced a foul fly ball to end the game and secure the first win of the series.
 
Ramer improved to 4-3 on the season with the complete game throwing seven innings and recording six strikeouts while scattering 11 hits and allowing four runs.
 
Peyton Lee suffered the loss to drop to 3-4 on the year giving up nine runs, eight earned, on 12 hits while striking out three Peacocks.
 
Four Peacocks, Luzum, Sawyer, Zimmer and Baehler, recorded two hits apiece, while Sawyer and Zimmer both drove in three runs for the home team. All nine starters registered a hit in the game for UIU.
 
In game two, the Warriors got on the board first, but it took until the fourth inning for either team to scratch the scoreboard for the first time. Winona State scored a pair of runs when Josh Hawksford doubled down the left field line to plate a pair of Warriors. Prior to the hits in the fourth, UIU starter Keaton Parker had held WSU without a hit through the first three innings.
 
The Peacocks started their scoring in the bottom of the fifth inning after starting with a pair of drag bunts down the third base line. The second defensive effort resulted in a throw away that sent the ball rolling down the right field fence that allowed Grushkin to score and Kyle Hrncir to advance to third. Luzum sent Hrncir home with a sacrifice bunt up the first base line to tie the game at 2-2. Sawyer drove in the third run of the inning with an infield single that he beat out to first, but was stranded on third base after Plaz's double to right bounced over the fence to stop him from scoring on the big hit. WSU got the third out to keep two runners in scoring position.
 
In the sixth, UIU added three more runs on a two-run double to center by Hull and a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of Luzum to put the Peacocks ahead 6-2.
 
Winona State took advantage of UIU control issues in the seventh inning scoring four runs on just one hit. The Warriors were aided by four straight walks, a pair of wild pitches and double down the right field line by Mason Trocke to score four runs and tie the game at 6-6.
 
The game remained tied until the ninth inning when Winona State scored a run on a Baumgartner double to right center and a sacrifice fly from Cooper Kapanke to take an 8-6 lead.
 
Upper Iowa wasted no time in the bottom of the ninth in tying the game. Sawyer reached with a single to center field and then came home when Plaz hit a no-doubt long ball over the fence in left field to tie the game at 8-8 with no outs in the inning. UIU put two more runners on, but were unable to grab the winning run in the ninth.
 
Zimmer opened the 11th inning with a single up the middle and moved to second on a walk to Grushkin with one out. After a fielder's choice, Zimmer stood on third and Hrncir on first. Hull stepped up and bunted the first pitch perfectly past the pitcher so that the second baseman had to field the hit and outraced him to the bag for the winning RBI as Zimmer came home.
 
Sam Marhefke picked up the win and improved to 2-2 with two scoreless innings of work and a pair of strikeouts. Keaton Parker took a no-decision after 6.1 innings allowing four runs on three hits with five strikeouts and four walks.
 
Davis Zeutzius dropped to 0-2 on the year after allowing the winning run on two hits in the final inning. Peter Tveite threw well in relief going five strong innings and allowing three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts.
 
Hull picked up three hits and three runs batted in during the game, while Sawyer, Plaz, Baehler, Grushkin and Hrncir all had two hits apiece.
 
The two teams are slated to play each other again in the series finale on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Robertson Woods Field.