The Peacock baseball split a double header with Minot State University on Robertson Woods Field in Fayette. Minot State won game one 9-7 holding off Upper Iowa, who rallied with six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, while UIU got even with a 10-7 win in game two behind solid pitching and four extra-base hits. Upper Iowa moves to 11-16 overall and 7-9 in the NSIC, while MiSU is now 17-10 overall and 8-7 in conference games.
 
The win in game two snapped UIU's current six-game slide and ended a 13-game losing streak to Minot State. JJ Vargas picked up three hits on the afternoon, while Ryan Hull, Caden White, Ethan Sawyer and Bryce Hall all had two hits apiece. Both Hull and Samuel Grushkin homered for the Peacocks. Keaton Parker scored the win with a solid start in game two, while Sam Marhefke earned his sixth save of the season.
 
Upper Iowa and Minot State will get back on the diamond in Fayette on Saturday for the series finale at 12 p.m.
 
Minot State 9 – Upper Iowa 7
After the Beavers grabbed a run in the top of the first inning thanks to an RBI-double from Matt Malone, the Peacocks got the equalizer in their half of the opening frame. Grushkin was hit by a pitch, stole second and came home on a single through the left side by Vargas.
 
The Beavers scored a run in the second on a bunt single by Shane Kary after Javier Guitierrez opened the inning with a triple. In the third inning, Minot State added three more runs fueled by a run-scoring single from Malone and a two-run home run by Matt Ossanna. After a quick 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, the Peacocks nearly got through the fifth unscathed, but after a foul pop up fell to the ground the Beavers took advantage with a walk, an RBI-double by Gunnar Kozlowitz and an RBI-single by Ossanna to chase UIU starter Jarrett Ramer. Guitierrez hit a two-run homer after the pitching change to put the visitors ahead 9-1.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, the Beavers made a pitching change and the Upper Iowa bats woke up. Victor Plaz doubled to deep center in front of a pair of walks to Sawyer and Cael Luzum to load the bases with no outs. After a wild pitch allowed one run to score, Bryce Hall singled to center to send Sawyer home and leave runners at the corners with no outs. Brock Zimmer drove in UIU's fourth run with a ground out to third and Hall scored when Justin Baehler hit a double to the left field corner pulling UIU within four, 9-5. After a strikeout, Grushkin hit a home run over the fence in left to get UIU within two, 9-7, but a final strikeout ended the threat and gave MiSU the victory.
 
Dominick Parkhurst (4-0) stayed undefeated this season with 6.0 innings pitched. He allowed just one run on two hits with six strikeouts.
 
Ramer (3-1) took his first loss of the season going 4.2 innings and allowing eight runs on eight hits with three strikeouts. Brennan Sefrit threw 1.2 innings of relief allowing a run on two hits, while Thane Meiners got the final two outs for UIU.
 
Upper Iowa 10 – Minot State 7
Upper Iowa took the momentum of the final half inning and carried it into game two. Derek Kay hit a home run to left field in the top of the first, but Upper Iowa didn't waste any time getting back into the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame. Alex Greene and Jared Hoodjer both picked up RBIs in the opening inning with a pair of ground balls.
 
In the second inning, Vargas opened the inning with a double and moved to third on a single by Caden White. Hull drove in one run with a perfect bunt down the first base line. After a hit batter loaded the bases with one out, Sawyer hit a sacrifice fly to right and a wild pitch allowed a third run to score as the home team got ahead 5-1.
 
After White was hit by a pitch in the fourth inning, Hull hit his third home run of the season to give the Peacocks a 7-1 lead. A two-run double from White in the fifth inning pushed Upper Iowa's lead to 9-1 through five innings.
 
Minot State rallied with four runs on a pair of two-run long balls to centerfield by Kay and Kozlowitz. All four runs were unearned as an error on the infield with two outs extended the inning and pulled MiSU within four, 9-5. The Beavers added one more run in the seventh when Dalin Ludlow singled to left to bring Kary to the plate from second base.
 
With runners on the corners and one out in the bottom of the seventh, UIU scored their tenth run on a sac bunt by Hull to reestablish their four-run advantage, 10-6.
 
Kozlowitz hit a homer in the eighth to cut the gap to three, 10-7, but the Beavers wouldn't get any closer as the game ended on a ground ball double play in the ninth.
 
Parker improved to 2-3 on the season with 6.1 innings on the hill. The right-hander allowed six runs, only two earned, on five hits with five strikeouts. Marhefke scored his sixth save of the season after 2.2 innings of relief. Marhefke allowed just one run on the homer in the eighth with one walk and one punch out.
 
Gage Yost (2-1) took the loss after 4.0 innings allowing seven runs, six earned, on six hits with three strikeouts.