GAME 1 BOX SCORE
GAME 2 BOX SCORE

MARSHALL, Minn. - Upper Iowa used a pair of big sixth inning to rally past Southwest Minnesota State and sweep of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader on Sunday in Marshall. 

UIU won the opener 6-4, scoring four runs in the sixth inning, and then completed the sweep with a 9-3 victory in game two, by scoring six runs in the sixth inning, to erase a 3-1 SMSU lead.

It was the first two home games for SMSU in 2011 after playing its first 19 games away from Marshall.  SMSU drops to 8-13 overall, 4-6 NSIC, while UIU improves to 16-15 overall, 10-8 NSIC.

In game one, SMSU built a 4-1 lead after four innings of play, but UIU rallied with a run in the fifth and four more in the sixth to earn the victory.

SMSU trailed 1-0 after two and a half innings, but tied the game in the third on an infield RBI single by Tyler Fayden.

The Mustangs then pushed across three runs in the fourth as Cody Curry led off with a hit by pitch and moved to second on a single by Tyler Flattum.  Following a fly out, Doug Mead gave SMSU a 2-1 lead with a run-scoring single to score Flattum.  Josh Wendland was hit by pitch to load the bases before Adam Thygesen smacked a two-run single to give SMSU a 4-1 lead.  UIU escaped further damage with a double play to keep the deficit at three runs.

SMSU starter Aaron Johnson worked out of a bases loaded jam in the fourth and allowed just one run in the fifth inning as the Peacocks left two more runners on base.

In the sixth, UIU put together its winning rally with four runs on four hits.  The key hit was a two-out, two-run single by Patrick Arntson off of SMSU relief pitcher Alex Alvarez that snapped a 4-4 tie and proved to be the game-winning hit.

Thygesen led an eight-hit SMSU attack going 3 for 4 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Mead finished 2 for 3 with an RBI and run scored.

Johnson suffered the loss with 5.1 innings pitched, allowing five runs on nine hits with five strikeouts and one walk.

In game two, UIU starter Josh McKeon was outstanding, tossing a complete game five-hitter with 12 strikeouts and just one walk, while allowing three unearned runs.  McKeon finished the game tossing 133 pitches with 91 strikes to improve to 3-2.

SMSU took an early 1-0 lead in the first on an infield single by Cody Curry that scored Brian Ness.

UIU tied the game in the second, before SMSU pushed across two in the fourth taking advantage of a hard-hit dropped fly ball.  Curry led the inning with a double and came around to score one batter later as Flattum hit a fairly deep ball to right field that was misplayed and allowed Curry to score and Flattum to reach second.  SMSU then put together a pair of sac bunts by Chris Eichten and Josh Wendland to score Flattum and give SMSU a 3-1 lead.

It stayed that way until the sixth when UIU put together a big two-out rally.  With runners on the corners and one out, SMSU pitcher Tyler Jendro attempted to pick off the runner at first base, but the ball squirted away from SMSU first baseman Brian Ness.  UIU third base runner Juve Reyes started towards home on the play, but Ness fired a throw to catcher Jordan Kontz, who relayed the ball to Flattum at third base for the second out of the inning. 

UIU wouldn't quit in the frame and used a hit by pitch and walk to load the bases.  Jeremy Schmidt replaced Jendro and was greeted with a two-run single to tie the game at 3-3.  The Peacocks continued with an RBI single, a run-scoring double and a two-run single to take a 7-3 lead and never looked back. 

Curry led the SMSU offense with two hits, an RBI and a run scored. 

Jendro pitched the first 5.2 innings for SMSU and allowed four runs on seven hits, while walking three and hitting two batters.  Schmidt took the loss and drops to 0-2 on the season.

The two teams will conclude the series tomorrow starting at 12 p.m. at SMSU's Alumni Field.