Baseball 3/7/02 -- Upper Iowa 5-10, Augsburg 4-4

GAME 1 BOXSCORE
GAME 2 BOXSCORE

MINNEAPOLIS (3/7/02) -- Wade Whitcher (Sr., West Union, Iowa) struck out seven batters in recording a complete-game victory in the first game, and James Scherf (Jr., St. Olaf, Iowa) went 3-for-3 and drove in three runs in the second game, as Upper Iowa University swept Augsburg College in a nonconference baseball doubleheader at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on Thursday night. Upper Iowa won the first game 5-4 and the second game 10-4.

Whitcher threw 103 pitches in the seven-inning effort in the first game, striking out seven while allowing nine hits and not walking a batter. The Peacocks rallied from a 3-1 deficit to claim the first-game win, while pouring on a five-run end-of-game outburst in the second game to improve to 2-2 overall on the season. Augsburg drops to 2-4, having lost its last four games in a row.

Augsburg took an early lead in the first game, behind the hitting of Collin Nash (So., Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS), who had a double and triple and scored twice in the first three innings. M.J. Iverson (Sr., New Germany, Minn./N-YA Central HS) and Ryan Krautkremer (Sr., Waseca, Minn.) had run-scoring singles in the third inning for the Auggies.

But Upper Iowa put together a three-run rally in the fourth inning, keyed on a two-run double from Curtis Gunter (Sr., Elkhart, Ind.), who later scored on a wild pitch. The Peacocks added another run in the fifth, when Bobby Glaser (Sr., Stockton, Calif.) hit the second of his two doubles in the game and scored on a single by David Espinoza (Sr., San Pedro, Calif.).

The rest was left to Whitcher, who allowed just one run the rest of the way -- as Pat Marsh (Sr., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) doubled and scored on a single by Dave Sherry (Sr., Hastings, Minn.) in the fifth. Augsburg went down in order in the sixth and seventh innings.

Jeremy Nelson (Fr., Maplewood, Minn./Roseville HS), making his second collegiate start, putched well for the Auggies, striking out three in five innings of work. Matt Topp (Sr., South St. Paul, Minn.) pitched two innings of relief for the Auggies.

The second game turned into a slugfest for the Peacocks, as they stroked 13 hits -- including three extra-base hits. After spotting a 2-0 lead in the first inning, on a run-scoring double from Marsh and a single from Sherry, Upper Iowa scored three runs in the first and two more in the third.

Glaser had a double and drove in a run on a single, and and Scherf drove in two runs on a single and another on a single in the third. Glaser drove in another run on a groundout in the fourth, and J.R. Taylor (Jr., Davenport, Iowa) tripled to drive in a run. Three more runs were plated in the sixth. Glaser went 3-for-4.

Glaser pitched well for the Peacocks in the second game, striking out three in six innings of work. Epitacio Maciel (Jr., Los Angeles, Calif.) pitched one inning of relief. Augsburg used four pitchers in the game, with the loss going to Nick Rathmann (Jr., Waseca, Minn.), who lasted just 2.2 innings.

Augsburg returns to action on Tuesday, March 19, with a doubleheader at the Metrodome against Wartburg (Iowa) at 11:30 a.m. Upper Iowa returns to action on Sunday, March 17, traveling to William Penn (Iowa) for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.