Upper Iowa baseball dropped both doubleheader games on Saturday afternoon to Illinois Springfield, falling by scores of 4-3 and 9-4.
The Prairie Stars improved to 20-10 overall and 13-5 in the GLVC, while UIU shifted to 14-7 (10-9 GLVC). The two teams go head-to-head on Sunday at 12 p.m. in a single-game contest to wrap up the series.
UIU-3, UIS-4
The scoring began in the third inning for UIS when their first run crossed the plate on a passed ball. Shortly after, they scored after a scramble from UIU after a fielding error, leaving the third frame with a 2-0 advantage.
The 2-0 score held until the the sixth inning, where UIS extended their lead. They picked up two runs after a single to left field brought in a run, followed by another runner crossing the plate on a wild pitch, pushing UIS' lead to 4-0.
Upper Iowa began their comeback in the bottom of the sixth.
Bryce Hall led off with a triple to right-center, bringing in
JJ Vargas for the Peacocks' first run. Shortly after,
Thane Meiners singled to right field, driving in Hall. The rally continued when
Ethan Sawyer singled to right field, bringing in
Justin Baehler, cutting the UIS lead to 4-3.
Despite the strong effort, UIS held on for the win.
The Prairie Stars totaled four hits while the Peacocks recorded four.
UIU-4, UIS-9
In game two, Upper Iowa committed five throwing errors that fueled the UIS win, including a five-run seventh inning.
The Prairie Stars took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning after knocking in a run on a single to right field.
The Peacocks tied the game in the fourth inning when
Thane Meiners singled to right field to score
Brock Zimmer, making it 1-1. In the fifth, UIU took a 2-1 lead when
Ethan Sawyer hit a double, driving in
Dylan McVeigh.
However, UIS bounced back in the sixth, scoring one on a throwing error and another two runs on a single through the left side, putting UIS ahead 4-2.
The seventh inning saw UIS break the game open. UIU's defense struggled with several errors, and UIS capitalized on it. The Prairie Stars tallied five runs on three hits to take a 9-2 lead heading into the final frame of the contest.
Upper Iowa showed resilience in the bottom of the seventh with four hits and two runs.
Gunnar Wicklund hit the only home run of the afternoon to make it 9-3, and Zimmer scored on a passed ball, cutting the lead to 9-4. The bases were loaded when the Peacocks suffered their third out of the inning. Despite the late rally, UIS held firm, securing the 9-4 win.
The Peacocks racked up seven hits while the Prairie Stars recorded nine.
