SIOUX FALLS – The University of Sioux Falls Baseball Team (14-24, 11-17 NSIC) had a two-game winning streak snapped in dropping a doubleheader to Upper Iowa (16-20, 12-16 NSIC) in NSIC action on Saturday at the Birdcage. The Cougars dropped 6-1 and 13-9 decisions to the Peacocks, which ended a five-game tailspin.
The two teams will play again on Sunday with a doubleheader starting at noon at the Birdcage.
Austin Richey continued to hit the ball well for USF as he was 5-of-8 with two runs scored. With those five hits, he is now leading USF with a .382 average.
Noah Durkin,
Josh Rehwaldt and
Rob Johnson each had two hits. Rehwaldt,
Connor Merriam and Durkin also had a pair of RBI.
G1 - UIU 6 USF 1 (7 innings)
Brent Fanning threw a complete game two-hitter as UIU defeated USF in game one, 6-1, in seven innings. Fanning (5-2) moved to 5-2 with the victory as he had two strikeouts and three walks.
Zachary Miller (2-5) dropped to 2-5 with the loss after allowing seven hits and five runs in six innings of work. He had three strikeouts but was hurt by five walks.
USF had just two hits in the game, both by senior Richey, who doubled and singled. He also scored USF's only run.
In the third inning, the Peacocks scored three runs on four hits against Miller. In the fifth inning, the Peacocks added two more runs for a 5-0 advantage.
Richey broke up a no-hit bid by Fanning with a blistering double to the left field wall in the home half of fifth inning. He scored on a sacrifice fly by
Trevor Crow as the Cougars drew within 5-1. Richey also singled in the seventh inning for USF.
G2 – UIU 13 USF 9 (9 innings)
USF led 8-3 before the Peacocks rallied with a nine-run seventh-inning to take a 12-8 advantage and held on for a 13-9 decision in an error-plagued game two. The Cougars matched UIU's 12 hits but couldn't do so with runs as they lost the nightcap.
Tanner Poor (3-0) picked up the win for UIU in relief of Tyus Adkins. Poor went 2 1/3 innings and allowed just two hits. Adkins started and worked 4 2/3 innings, allowing eight hits and eight runs, although just two were earned. The two teams combined for eight errors as USF committed five, three in the costly seventh inning.
Keenahn Coyle started for USF but did not figure in the decision. He allowed seven hits and six runs in six innings of work. He had held UIU to just three runs over the first six innings but gave up a three run home run in the seventh inning and was pulled.
Mitchell Lyall (0-3) suffered the loss as he worked 1/3 of an inning and allowed three runs, two earned, and three hits.
Stuart Maes allowed two hits and four runs, all unearned, in 1 2/3 innings.
Cody Blackwell worked a scoreless ninth inning.
The Cougars jumped on the scoreboard right away in game two as
Brent Jarvis doubled and scored on Durkin's RBI single for a 1-0 lead. Durkin came home on on a fielder's choice ground out by
Matthew Minnick for a 2-0 lead after one inning.
UIU tied the game with a two-run double from Zachary Cain in the top of the fourth inning. The Peacocks grabbed the lead in the fifth inning as Alex George hit a run-scoring single for the 3-2 advantage.
In the fifth inning, USF put together a six-run rally. It all started as
Gunner Peterson opened by reaching base after being hit by a pitch and advanced to third on a throwing error on a ground ball by Jarvis. Peterson tied the game at 3-3 on Durkin's sacrifice fly. Rehwaldt's triple plated Jarvis, and with a throwing error by UIU, scored for a 5-3 lead. A double from
Rob Johnson brought home Richey for a 6-3 lead.
Connor Merriam's two-run single extended the lead to 8-3 through five innings.
In the seventh inning, UIU used a three-run home run from Anthony Calton and scored nine runs on six hits and three USF errors to retake the lead at 12-8.
The teams traded runs in the eighth inning. A sacrifice fly by Rehwaldt brought home Peterson, who singled to open the eighth inning for USF, to cut the lead to 13-9 but could draw no closer.
