WICHITA, Kan. - The Upper Iowa baseball team (3-2) got its first doubleheader sweep of the season with a pair of one-run victories over Newman (Kan.) (1-6). Gabe Bombardier had a monster day at the plate, totaling three hits with a double, a home run and six RBIs.
The Peacocks picked up a 7-6 win in game one after scoring five runs in the sixth inning. Bombardier had two hits with a double and four RBIs in that contest. UIU then won 8-7 in 10 innings in game two, with Bombardier smacking a 2RBI homer in the fourth.
Jaxon Valdez earned the win in game one, pitching three innings with three strikeouts. Kirill Landry got the save with two strikeouts in 1.2 innings pitched. Gabe Olson started game two, pitching a team-high six strikeouts. Landon Boisen got the win with two strikeouts and Garrett Bougie earned a save with one strikeout in the 10th inning.
Cael Luzum and Brock Zimmer both had two hits on the day. Luzum added a double and three walks, scoring a team-high four times. Zimmer had two walks and an RBI. Jayce Klug had a hit and two RBIs, which came on a fielder's choice and a sacrifice fly.
The Peacocks are scheduled to face the Jets on Saturday at 2 p.m. With rain forecasted on Friday night into Saturday, the game may be rescheduled to a doubleheader on Sunday in the event that it cannot be played on Saturday. Stay tuned to Peacock socials for potential changes.
Game 1: Upper Iowa 7, Newman 6
Newman took an early 4-0 lead, scoring on a single in the first, a 2RBI double in the third and an RBI double in the fourth. The Peacocks did not record a hit in those opening four innings.
UIU got the bats going in the fifth after two lead-off strikeouts. Paul Safranski was hit-by-pitch and Luzum doubled to put runners on second and third. A two-out Bombardier double scored the first two runs of the day for Upper Iowa.
The sixth inning was UIU's best of the day, scoring five runs. It started with a JJ Vargas single, a Thane Meiners walk and a Hunter Jones single. Vargas scored the third run of the game on a balk, and Klug tied the game up by reaching on a fielder's choice.
Safranski then singled to shortstop, giving UIU a 5-4 lead. After Luzum walked, Bombardier hit a 2RBI single for the 7-4 advantage.
Newman used two singles and a sacrifice fly to score a run in the sixth inning. Pitcher Marcus Champagne got three straight outs in the seventh, but allowed the bases to be loaded with one out in the eighth. Landry entered the game, allowing one batter to score, but got the final two outs with a strikeout and a flyout. This preserved the 7-6 lead, and Landry went three-up, three-down in the ninth to secure the win and save.
Bombardier went 2-for-5 with a double and four RBIs. Klug and Safranski each recorded a hit and an RBI, with Safranski scoring twice. Luzum recorded a double, walk and scored a run.
Brett Nicodemus got the start on the mound, pitching three complete innings with four strikeouts. He allowed one earned run and three walks. Valdez got the win, pitching three innings in relief with three strikeouts while allowing three walks and two earned runs. Kirill earned the save with two strikeouts.
Newman's Nicolas Ely led the team with three hits while scoring three runs. Kaynan Kaku and Anthony Cannavino each had two hits with a double. Cannavino recorded two RBIs, and Kaku had one. Starting pitcher Ryan Pacha took the loss, pitching a game-high seven strikeouts.
Newman outhit Upper Iowa, 10-8, and the Peacocks committed the only error of the game. The Jets left 14 runners on base while UIU left seven. Newman's pitching staff recorded 11 strikeouts while UIU's recorded 10.
Game 2: Upper Iowa 8, Newman 7 (10 inn.)
Unlike the previous game, the Peacocks got the bats rolling early this time, scoring four runs in the opening inning. Luzum and Bombardier walked, allowing Zimmer to bring them in with a single to left field.
A Vargas walk loaded the bases, and Meiners brought in the next run on an RBI single. Mason Gamboa walked with the bases loaded, and Klug hit a sacrifice fly for the 4-0 advantage.
Kaku hit a solo home run in the third to cut the lead, 4-1. Bombardier responded with his own homer in the fourth inning, bringing in Luzum as well after a walk for a 6-1 advantage. It was Bombardier's 16th home run in his Peacock career.
The game remained 6-1 until the seventh. Zimmer walked while Vargas and Meiners reached on fielder's choices to load the bases. Klug brought in Zimmer after reaching on an error for the 7-1 lead.
Newman slowly came storming back, scoring two runs in the seventh after a walk, a hit-by-pitch, a single, a fielder's choice and an error. Newman added a run on a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to trail, 7-4.
Two hit-by-pitches started the ninth inning, while Peyton Mitchell singled to load the bases. Ely grounded out to the pitcher to bring in the first run. Kaku reached on a fielder's choice and brought in another. A Justin Birch single tied the game, 7-7.
Despite runners on second and third, Boisen stayed composed by striking out Cannavino. After a walk to load the bases, he struck out NU's Collin Morris to send the game to extra innings.
Luzum started the 10th with a leadoff single, and Bombardier walked. A Zimmer flyout to center advanced the runners. Vargas reached first on an error by the Newman first baseman, allowing Luzum to score. Bougie entered in the 10th inning. He got a groundout, a flyout and a strikeout to secure the win.
Bombardier had a home run, walked twice and brought in two RBIs. Luzum, Zimmer and Trevor Kelling both got a hit and walked twice. Meiners and Gamboa had a hit and an RBI.
Olson started the game, recording a team-high six strikeouts in four innings pitched. He allowed four hits and one earned run. Garrett Konz pitched three innings with three strikeouts, while Austin Shingledecker pitched an inning with a strikeout. Boisen got the win, and Bougie got the save.
Ely and Kaku each had two hits for Newman, with Kaku totaling two RBIs. Jaden Talle had a team-high five strikeouts on the mound. Fran Montanez took the loss after pitching in the 10th inning.
Newman outhit Upper Iowa once again, 10-6. The Jets had three errors while the Peacocks had two. Newman left 17 runners on base, and UIU left 13. The Peacocks' pitching staff totaled 13 strikeouts while Newman's had 10.
