CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team earned the Sunday split with Upper Iowa University with a 10-5 victory in the second game April 22. The Golden Eagles were propelled in the win by home runs from Reed Hjelle (Jr., 1B, East Grand Forks, Minn.) and Ben Thoma (Fr., UT, Clearbrook, Minn.). Minnesota Crookston dropped the first game 3-2 after an A.J. Friederich line drive bounced off the infield umpire for an infield single, plating Zackary Cain in the top of the eighth inning.

The Golden Eagles moved to 18-23 (4-18 NSIC) with the split. Upper Iowa sits at 12-17 (10-13 NSIC) after the split.

Game One
Minnesota Crookston and Upper Iowa went to extra innings in the first game as the tilt was knotted up 2-2 at the completion of the seventh inning. The Golden Eagles had a chance to score in the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded with one out but were unable to get the go-ahead run. Upper Iowa won 3-2 when Friedrich hit an infield single to plate Cain and lift the Peacocks to the win.

Parker Kray picked up the win in relief as he went 0.2 innings and allowed no runs and no hits with one strikeout. Tyus Adkins earned the save, his third of the season, with three strikeouts in one frame. Brett Fanning started the game for the Peacocks and allowed two runs on six hits with six strikeouts in six innings.

Zach Rustad (Jr., LHP, Blaine, Minn.) put together a strong start for the Golden Eagles as he gave up just one earned run on five hits in five innings with six strikeouts and a walk. Zach Seipel (Jr., RHP, Eagan, Minn.) had an extended outing in relief as he earned the loss after allowing one run on four hits with five strikeouts in three innings.

The Golden Eagles picked up seven hits in the first game of the day. Anthony Stewart (R-Sr., OF, Oak Harbor, Wash.) paced the team by going 3-of-4 for the game. Hjelle as 1-of-4, while Hunter Baldwin (R-So., 3B, St. Thomas, N.D.) continued his strong hitting weekend by going 1-of-2 with two RBIs and one run scored. Zach Frazier (R-Sr., C, Grand Rapids, Minn.) went 1-of-2 with one run scored.

Zackary Cain led Upper Iowa by going 2-of-4 with one run scored. Riley Braughton was 2-of-4 with one run scored. Emmett Kulick finished the game 1-of-3 with one run scored.

Upper Iowa broke the 0-0 tie in the top of the third as Braughton scored when Tony Salato reached on an Ethan Mushitz (Sr., SS, East Grand Forks, Minn.) error at short stop.

The Peacocks moved their lead to 2-0 in the top of the fifth as Kulick crossed the dish when Jake Greco grounded out to short stop.

Minnesota Crookston came back and evened the slate in the bottom of the fifth when Baldwin delivered his second home run of the weekend. The St. Thomas, N.D.-native smashed the ball to left field, to an almost identical spot to where he hit his walk-off home run in game two Saturday. Baldwin scored himself and Frazier on the long ball.

The Golden Eagles loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh as Tanner Poor walked Frazier and hit Baldwin with a pitch. After a fielder's choice, Stewart singled to load up the bases. Kray came on to get the final two outs of the frame to maintain the 2-2 tie and force extra innings.

Upper Iowa moved their lead to 3-2 after they loaded up the bases and Friedrich hit an infield single on a ball that hit the umpire to bring in Cain.

Adkins mowed down the Golden Eagles in the bottom of the eighth to preserve the 3-2 win for Upper Iowa.

Game Two
Minnesota Crookston scored five runs in the final four innings as they upended Upper Iowa in a 10-5 victory. The Golden Eagles scored 10 runs on 12 hits as they bounced back for the victory.

The Golden Eagles were led by Hjelle, who went 2-of-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Mushitz went 3-of-4 with three runs scored, while Baldwin was 2-of-4 with two RBIs and one run scored. Jonathan Lund (Jr., 3B, Tolna, N.D.) also had a strong day as he went 2-of-3 with two RBIs.

Jacob Butcher (R-Sr., RHP, Palmer, Alaska) kept the Golden Eagles in the fray with his start. Butcher gave up three earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts in three innings. Aaron Hollcraft (Jr., LHP, Crookston, Minn.) earned his second win of the season as he gave up one run on two hits in one inning of work with one strikeout. Parker Hanson (Jr., RHP, Hawley, Minn.) returned for his first appearance since March 29. Hanson allowed just one hit in one inning with a strikeout. Zach Seipel (Jr., RHP, Eagan, Minn.) earned his league-leading seventh save after shutting out Upper Iowa in two innings of relief with one strikeout.

Colin Lacey suffered the loss for the Peacocks after giving up four earned runs in nine hits in five innings. The Peacocks struggled due to three errors in the field. Collin Thomas also toed the rubber. He gave up three runs on three hits in one inning.

Upper Iowa was paced at the plate by Greco, who was 2-of-4 with two RBIs and one run scored. Braughton went 2-of-3 with two runs scored. Kulick finished 1-of-3 with one run scored, while Callahan Seehase was 1-of-3 with one run scored.

The Peacocks got out to a 2-0 advantage in the top of the first. Greco doubled to left center to drive in Seehase for the first run. Cain then singled up the middle, allowing Greco to move to third and then score on an error by Stewart in center field.

The Golden Eagles responded with four runs in the bottom of the first. Baldwin delivered a single up the middle to score Mushitz and James Cullinane (Sr., OF, San Franciso, Calif.), Hjelle would also come around to score on an error in center field. Baldwin returned to the dish on a Lund single to right center.

Upper Iowa cut the lead to 4-3 when Seehase singled to drive in Braughton.

The Peacocks knotted the game up 4-4 in the top of the third when Greco singled to drive in Kulick.

Minnesota Crookston moved back into the lead when Mushitz scored on a throwing error by the catcher to try to throw Frazier out.

Upper Iowa came back to tie the game up 5-5 in the top of the fourth as Cole Scieszinski singled to center field to plate Braughton.

Minnesota Crookston took the lead back 6-5 in the bottom of the fourth when Stewart tripled and scored Thoma.

The Golden Eagles extended their lead to 7-5 when Lund singled to drive in Hjelle.
Minnesota Crookston added three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Thoma led off the frame with his second home run of the season on a solo shot. Mushitz later tripled to left center to keep the inning alive. Hjelle hit his league-leading eighth home run of the year to score himself and fellow East Grand Forks-native Mushitz, extending the lead to 10-5.

Seipel retired the Peacocks in order in the top of the seventh to pick up the save and preserve the 10-5 win for the Golden Eagles.

Minnesota Crookston continues their home stand Wed., April 25 at 1 and 3 p.m. against Northern State University at UMC Baseball Field in Crookston, Minn.