The Peacocks defeated the Cardinals 7-5 on Monday afternoon in game three, claiming the series 2-1 in Liberty, Mo. Upper Iowa improved to 3-3 on the season, while William Jewell fell to 2-3 on the year.
The Peacocks got off to a strong start in the first inning when Brock Zimmer singled to left field, bringing home Bryce Hall to give Upper Iowa a 1-0 lead. Upper Iowa's offense continued to shine in the second inning with a solo home run from Jared Hoodjer, followed by a three-run homer from Gunnar Wicklund, which brought home Hall and Ethan Sawyer. Gabe Bombardier rounded out the scoring with a solo home run to center field, leading 6-0 after the top of the second inning.
In the bottom of the second inning, William Jewell got on the board with a solo home run to center field, cutting Upper Iowa's lead to 6-1. WJC's following scoring sequence started on a single to right field, with that runner advancing to second on a failed pickoff attempt and an error by the first baseman. They then singled to right field, driving in two runners to make it 6-3. By the end of the inning, William Jewell narrowed the gap to three runs (6-3).
The Cardinals added another run in the fourth inning. They hit a single to shortstop and then stole second base, followed by a double to left field, bringing in the runner to make it 6-4.
William Jewell inched even closer as they added their final run of the contest in the seventh inning after a home run, trailing by one run (6-5).
Upper Iowa regained control in the ninth inning when JJ Vargas singled down the right-field line, driving in Zimmer to make it 7-5. Despite a valiant effort by William Jewell in the final frame, they couldn't capitalize, and Upper Iowa held on to win by two runs.
Hall and Zimmer concluded the afternoon with a team-high three hits, followed by Ethan Sawyer with two. Wicklund paced the team with three RBIs.
The Peacocks finished the game with 13 hits, while William Jewell had 12 hits. Upper Iowa committed two errors, while the Cardinals played error-free baseball. Both teams left 11 runners on base. Upper Iowa had three home runs in the game, with Bombardier, Wicklund, and George all going deep. William Jewell hit two home runs.
Isaiah Maes finished with the win on the mound after five innings of work. He allowed eight hits and four runs, two of them earned. Thane Meiners snagged his first save of the season, throwing for two innings and allowing zero runs while striking out three.
The Peacocks are set to head to Romeoville, Ill. next weekend to challenge Lewis. They will go head-to-head with the Flyers in four contests across Feb. 28-Mar. 2 (Friday-Sunday).
