Aberdeen, S.D. – The Northern State University baseball team was swept by Upper Iowa on Sunday evening from Ronken Field with scores of 5-1 and 7-4. The Wolves fall to 8-8 overall and 1-3 in league action following the weekend.
The Wolves fell to the Peacocks in game one with a score of 5-1. Upper Iowa scored first in the bottom of the second, however the Wolves tied things up in the top half of the third.
Tyler Gripentrog led off the inning with a solo shot to left center field. The Peacocks answered with four more runs in the bottom half of the frame taking the lead and sealing the victory.
As a team the Wolves notched three hits. Gripentrog notched one of two extra base hits, as
Lucas Lorenz also connected for a double.
Jordan Goracke tallied the final hit of the game as a pinch hitter in the sixth.
Louie Carlos suffered his second loss of the season throwing 2.1 innings as the starter. Carlos gave up five runs on five hits.
Andrew Nichols and
Rylan Shimer entered in relief, holding the Peacocks scoreless. Shimer threw the final three innings of action without giving up a hit and striking out four.
The Peacocks scored first against in game two, however the Wolves answered to tie things off the bat of
Jack Schmidt in the third. The junior singled home
Jordan Goracke who had singled to right earlier in the inning. The two teams were scoreless through the fourth and fifth innings, but NSU took the lead in the top of the sixth. Schmidt tallied a one out walk followed by a
Lucas Lorenz double to right leaving two runners on for
Ben Allen. The senior ripped a single up the middle scoring both Schmidt and Lorenz, and the Wolves took the 3-1 lead.
Upper Iowa battled back in the bottom frame tying things are 3-all, however the Wolves fought back in their next at-bats.
Hayden Houts tripled to center with one out in the inning, and scored on a suicide squeeze by Carolin. Despite the NSU comeback, the Peacocks battled with four runs in the bottom of the eighth, taking the 7-4. Northern was unable to produce runs in the top of the ninth and fell in the game.
Allen led the team going 2-for-3 with two RBI, while Schmidt went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Carolin, Goracke, Lorenz, and Houts accounted for the four other team hits in the game.
Luke Chevalier started for the Wolves throwing seven complete innings in his first loss of the season. The sophomore notched a game high nine strikeouts, however gave up seven runs, four of which were earned, on seven hits.
Kris Johnson entered in the eighth keeping the Peacocks scoreless with one hit and one strikeout.
The Wolves will resume league play in the 2017 home opener on Wednesday. Northern will face St. Cloud State beginning at 1 p.m. in a doubleheader from Fossum Field.
