Box Score
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – No. 5 seed Upper Iowa advanced to the winner's bracket final of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament earning an 8-5 victory over No. 4 seed Southwest Minnesota State on Friday night in St. Cloud, Minn.
SMSU will now play tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 p.m. versus No. 2 seed Minnesota State, Mankato in an elimination game, while Upper Iowa will play Wayne State at 12 p.m. SMSU falls to 27-12 overall, while UIU improves to 26-24.
The Mustangs opened the scoring in the top of the first inning as Matt Bauer smacked a two-out, two-run home run, his 12th of the season, to give SMSU an early 2-0 lead.
Upper Iowa answered right back in the home half with a two out rally putting together two singles and a Lucas Wilsing three-run home run to take the lead at 3-2 after one inning of play.
The score remained 3-2 until the fourth when SMSU used the long ball again. Andrew Kinney lead off the inning drilling a solo home run over the right field for his team leading 15th of the season and Bauer then followed with another home run, his 13th of the year, to give SMSU back the lead at 4-3.
UIU for the second time in the game had an answer, this time putting together three hits and a walk to score two runs and regain the lead at 5-4. The inning could've been worst but the Peacocks left the bases loaded.
The Peacocks added to the lead in the sixth off of Mustang reliever Jared Pick. With one out and a runner on first base, Pick appeared to get out of the inning with a ground ball double play, but on the pitch he was called for a balk advancing the runner to second base. Two pitches later, Brad Hasenkamp singled to center field to score Kreston Albright and make the score 6-4 in favor of UIU.
SMSU into the lead in the top of the eight as Greg Laughlin reached on a one-out error and moved to second on a single by Kinney. Bauer popped out for the second out before both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Derek West then hit an infield single to score Laughlin, but a strike out by Doug Stearns ended the threat and kept UIU in the lead.
For the third time in the game, UIU answered an SMSU score in the top of an inning with a rally of its own. With one out, the Peacocks put together three straight singles, a walk and a fielder's choice to add two insurance runs to take an 8-5 lead into the ninth.
Smith finished tossing five innings allowing five runs on 10 hits, while walking three and striking out five and falls to 7-2 on the season.
Bauer finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBI, Kinney was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while Jake Munsch was 2-for-4.
