ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Upper Iowa University Peacocks put a damper on Northern State University's first home games of the season on Saturday, handing the Wolves a doubleheader sweep by final scores of 4-1 and 11-1 to open the final weekend series of the regular season.

The losses, played in near-perfect weather, dropped the Wolves to 11-23 overall and 9-17 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play.  UIU moved to 22-26 overall and 16-18 in league play and kept its slim hope of a playoff berth alive with Saturday's wins.

Both teams battled through four scoreless innings to start the day before UIU's Nick Bergeman doubled home two runs in the top of the fifth to give the Peacocks the early lead.  The Wolves avoided an earlier deficit in the second inning after cutting down the potential go-ahead run at the plate and picking up an inning-ending double play to work out of a two-on, one-out jam.

NSU got one of the two runs they gave up in the fifth back in the bottom half of the stanza.  Jose Figueroa singled and played station-to-station ball before scoring on a Michael Cross single to make it a 2-1 game.

The Peacocks, however, added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth on a couple of RBI singles from Matt Corbitt and Taylor Brecht.  NSU senior Trent Bestland then worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning, but the Wolves, despite three base runners in the final two innings, came up empty in both, leaving UIU with the win.

Bestland absorbed the loss for the Wolves despite the solid complete-game effort.  The senior gave up four earned on six hits and two walks while striking out five.  

UIU's Fabian Lopez picked up the win, allowing just one unearned run on five hits and matching Bestland's five strikeouts.

The Peacocks waiting just one inning before getting the offense going in Game 2 and held a 6-0 lead by the end of the fourth inning.  

NSU, which left eight runners on base (four in scoring position) in the first seven innings, finally broke up the shutout bid in the eighth inning.  Senior Ronnie Sellers drew a leadoff walk and moved around to third on a Zach Miller single and an Adam Brion free pass.  Kelly Coates then sent a ground ball down the first base line.  UIU first baseman Patrick Arntson appeared to attempt to come home with the ball, but muffed the pick-up on the grounder and was forced to settle for the out at first, allowing Sellers to score.

UIU, however, tacked on five more runs in the top of the ninth inning to make the final score 11-1.  Senior Josh McKeon worked around seven hits and seven walks with 13 strikeouts en-route to the win.

Northern State senior Lucas Jung took the loss for the Wolves, going eight innings and giving up nine runs on 13 hits and three strikeouts.

The two teams will take the field on Sunday to finish out the series and regular season with a two-game set.  First pitch is slated for noon at Fossum Field.