LIVINGSTON — Senior Acea Upmann did a little bit of everything to lead the Iowa–Grant Panthers to a 7–6 Southwestern Wisconsin Activities League victory last Thursday afternoon at IGHS.
Upmann, who started the game at catcher, went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and drove in three runs as the Panthers cleanup hitter. He scored the eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning on an RBI single by Zach Campbell, and even picked up the win in relief, pitching the final eight outs, including a 1-2-3 seventh inning.
Upmann’s big day led the Panthers to their fifth league victory of the season and moved Iowa–Grant (6–8, 5–4) into a tie for third place in the SWAL standings with Fennimore (10–9, 5–4).
Upmann entered the game with bases loaded and one out in the top of the fifth inning. He issued a bases loaded walk to Kyle Bass that pulled the Cubans within a run, then surrendered a two-out two-run single to Nate Timmerman that gave Cuba City its first lead of the game. But Upmann got of the jam without further damage on a ground ball to second base.
Charles Christianson and Upmann had back-to-back singles to lead off I–G’s game-winning sixth-inning rally. Charlie Richards followed with a bunt single and Christianson came around to score on a Cuba City throwing error on the play to tie the game.
After junior Tanner Casper was hit by a pitch, Campbell singled past the shortstop to plate Upmann.
Richards and fellow junior Sawyer Sarbacker each had two hits for the Panthers in the win.
Iowa–Grant’s SWAL game with Boscobel was rained out Friday and will be made up Saturday. The Panthers will conclude last Monday’s game at Southwestern on Thursday. I–G was up 8–0 in the second inning when rained stopped play. The Panthers will travel to Darlington on Friday.
Iowa–Grant 7, Cuba City 6
(from Thursday, May 12 @ Livingston)
Cuba City 001 230 0 — 6 7 4
Iowa–Grant 301 102 x — 7 11 5
Leading hitters — CC: Kyle Bass 2x4, Nate Timmerman 2x5; IG: Acea Upmann 3x4, Charlie Richards 2x4, Sawyer Sarbacker 2x4. 2B — Upmann 2, Tanner Casper.
W — Acea Upmann (1–0, 2.2IP, 1H, 0R, 3K, 3BB). L — Mason Reuter (2IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 2K, 0BB).
