The Upper Iowa Peacocks faced off against the University of Missouri-St. Louis Tritons in a doubleheader on Friday, falling in both contests as the Tritons used explosive offensive efforts to claim wins of 16-5 and 21-2, respectively.
UIU shifted to 17-24 overall and 12-16 in conference action.
In game one, the Tritons opened the scoring with a solo home run in the second inning and added one run in the third before erupting for ten more in the fourth. A barrage of extra-base hits and long balls allowed UMSL to break the game open, eventually extending the lead to 12-0 by the end of the inning. Two more runs in the fifth made it 14-0 before Upper Iowa responded in the sixth.
The Peacocks mounted their best offensive frame of the day in the sixth frame, plating five runs to trail 12-5.
Justin Baehler started the momentum with an RBI single, while
Jared Hoodjer added a bases-loaded walk.
Ethan Sawyer drove in another with a single to right, and
Bryce Hall brought home a run with a sacrifice fly. A wild pitch brought across one more before the inning closed, trimming the deficit to single digits. However, a two-run homer from UMSL in the bottom half of the inning halted any further comeback hopes, as the Peacocks dropped the opener 16-5.
Thane Meiners, Justin Baheler and Ethan Saywer combined for nine of the team's 13 hits.
In game two, UMSL again came out aggressive, scoring seven runs in the first inning and continuing to apply pressure throughout. The Peacocks briefly gained momentum in the fourth, when Hall launched a two-run home run, his second of the day, to left field, putting Upper Iowa on the board (12-2). The Tritons responded with a steady flow of offense, scoring nine more runs across the fifth and sixth innings to secure a commanding 21-2 win.
Over the course of both games, UMSL combined for 37 runs. Upper Iowa, meanwhile, found bright spots in Hall's two-home run day and the five-run sixth inning in game one.
Peacock baseball is back in action on Monday in Fayette against Waldorf at 3 p.m.
