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The Upper Iowa baseball team split the final two games of the season series with the Beavers of Bemidji State. The Peacocks 7-5 in the eighth inning on a two-run homer, but bounced back for a ‘come from behind’ win in game two, 11-10. With the split, UIU’s record moves to 23-12 overall and 13-4 in the Northern Sun Conference.
UIU took a 1-0 lead early in the first inning as a Mitch Walser double pushed Dan Berg across the plate, but Jamie Terres was thrown out at home on the play. BSU was able to load the bases on three hits in the first inning, but all three Beavers were stranded. The Peacocks extended their lead to 5-0 with four runs on five hits in the top of the third inning. Berg led off the inning with a single and moved to second as Nick Fjelland reached base on a bunt single. Terres knocked the third straight hit into center field and drove Berg across the plate. Fjelland stole third base and then scored on an error by the pitcher. After two outs, Terres stood at second base until T.J. Johnson singled to left field and the Peacocks had runners on the corners. Lucas Wilsing capped off the scoring in the inning by doubling to left field and plating Terres and Johnson. Bemidji State scored one in the third on two hits and one in the fourth on one hit, a homerun to left. While the Beavers began to chip away at the Peacock’s lead, the UIU bats had gone silent. The home team scored three runs on two hits in the fifth highlighted by a two-run shot over the wall by Anthony Stoloski. The runs tied the game at 5-5 as the teams moved into the sixth inning. The Beavers threatened to win the game in the seventh as they had the bases loaded with two outs, but could not score the winning run. Upper Iowa had their chance in the top of the eighth when Walser reached on an error and advanced to second on a Nate Mendoza sacrifice bunt. Walser moved to third on a ground out and the Peacocks had runners on the corners with two outs after a Lucas Wilsing walk, but couldn’t push a run across. Bemidji State won the game in the bottom of the eighth as Anthony Stoloski hit his second two-run jack of the game. Brian Putnam (2-2) took the loss in relief of Kevin Epperheimer. Putnam threw 3.1 innings and gave up two runs on five hits. Epperheimer pitched 4.0 innings giving up seven hits and five runs, four were earned. In game two, Upper Iowa took a 2-0 lead moving into the bottom of the second thanks to runs batted in by Erik Sorensen and Ronnie Kurihara. Bemidji State did not let the lead stand for long as they stormed back with five runs on six hits and three Peacock errors. UIU managed to inch back with two in the third fueled by a two-run homerun over the left field wall off the bat of Mendoza. The Beavers got the two runs back in the third to make the score 7-4. After a Fjelland double pushed one run across and Johnson drove another run home, the Peacocks trailed the Beavers 9-6 headed into the seventh inning. Fjelland led the inning off with a double to left field and moved to third on a ground out. Walser drove Fjelland home with a ground out to second. Mendoza walked with two outs and Johnson kept the inning alive as he reached by error. Wilsing doubled to left center and plated both Peacocks to tie the game at 9-9. Sorensen then reached on an error as Wilsing was able to cross the plate. Ryan Arp kept the inning alive with a single to left field. The final Peacock run came as Berg reached base on the Beavers’ third error of the inning. Bemidji State did score one run in the bottom of the seventh on a homerun, but Clint Krysa struck out the final batter of the inning. Krysa (1-0) picked up his first win of the season in relief of starter Andy Seabrooke. Krysa threw 2.1 innings allowing one run on one hit and striking out three. Seabrooke pitched 4.2 innings giving up 11 hits and 9 runs, 8 earned, while striking out two. At the plate, the Peacocks were led by Wilsing (4-7, 4 rbi, 2 runs), Fjelland (5-9, 3 runs, 1 rbi), Johnson (3-8, 3 runs, 1 rbi), and Terres (3-8, 1 run, 1 rbi). The team will be back on the field this weekend, April 21-22, at Winona State in Winona, Minnesota. The Peacocks and Warriors will meet for a pair of Northern Sun Conference double headers. |
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