Iowa Baseball Wins Another Series

Hawkeyes Dump Michigan State for 5th Weekend Triumph in a Row

Iowa Baseball bullpen at Banks Field in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Iowa brought the tying run to the plate in the top of the ninth inning, but couldn’t complete the comeback in an 11-8 loss at Michigan State on Sunday afternoon at McLane Baseball Stadium at Kobs Field.

The loss drops Iowa’s record to 30-17 overall and 14-7 in Big Ten play heading into the final week of the regular season. Despite the loss, the Hawkeyes took two of three games in the weekend series.

After Iowa took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Sam Hojnar’s RBI single to left center, the Spartans’ bats broke out in the second inning to knock Iowa starter Ty Langenberg from the contest.

Michigan State had eight hits in the frame (they had 10 hits in the game) against three Hawkeye pitchers, plating nine runs to take a 9-1 lead. The Spartans sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning.

The Spartans tacked on their 10th run in the sixth inning before the Hawkeyes began their comeback bid in the seventh.

Redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams hit a two-run homer for his second blast in as many days to make the score 10-3. Iowa then loaded the bases to start the eighth on a Sam Petersen double, Michael Seegers single and Kyle Huckstorf hit by pitch before Ben Wilmes’ RBI ground out made it 10-4.

After Williams walked to load the bases again, Keaton Anthony emptied the bases with a grand slam to right center for his 11th homer of the season, cutting the deficit to 10-8.

Michigan State got one run back in the bottom half before Iowa threatened again in the ninth.

The Hawkeyes put two runners on base via a Seegers single and Wilmes hit by pitch, bringing Williams to the plate with two outs. The first baseman barrelled up the first pitch he saw, but it carried to the warning track and was caught in center to end the game.

Iowa out-hit Michigan State, 11-10, in the game with Anthony (2-for-4, 4 RBIs), Fullard (2-for-3), Petersen (2-for-5) and Seegers (2-for-4) collecting multi-hit games.

Langenberg (5-2) suffered the loss, allowing six runs (five earned) on five hits in one inning. Five relievers saw action in the game.

QUOTING HEAD COACH RICK HELLER

“We had a rough start. Michigan State came out on fire; they had eight hits in the second inning, and we couldn’t get them out. Everything their bat touched fell for a hit and we had a call go against us at the plate that hurt and cost us four runs, so it ended up being nine instead of five.

“We didn’t do a whole lot off Harrison in the first 5-6 innings and we rallied late and had a chance and never gave up. It is a disappointing loss, but we never quit. You have to like that about our team.”

GAME 3 BOX SCORE

GAME 2

Iowa baseball team spotted Michigan State a 2-0 lead before scoring 12 unanswered to post a 12-2 series-clinching victory on Saturday.

The victory is the Hawkeyes’ 30th of the season, giving the program 30 or more wins in each of the seven “non-COVID” seasons under Heller.

The Spartans jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning against Iowa starter Connor Schultz before reliever Duncan Davitt entered with two outs in the first to settle things down. Michigan State had six hits in the first two frames – all singles – before collecting three hits the rest of the way.

The Hawkeyes broke the game open in the seventh, pushing seven runs across the plate on four hits. Freshman Ben Wilmes had a two-run single in the inning, Izaya Fullard drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 6-2, Sam Petersen had a bases-clearing double to right center and Cade Moss singled to left field, making the score 10-2.

Iowa’s offense made it 12-2 in the ninth on Mitch Wood’s RBI single – the first hit of his career – and Sam Hojnar walked with the bases juiced to force in the final run.

The Hawkeye bullpen was superb in the game, tossing 8 1/3 shutout innings. Davitt, Ben Beutel and Cam Baumann scattered five hits, struck out five and issued two walks. Beutel (3-0) earned the victory, while Baumann earned the three-inning save.

Iowa collected 12 hits in the game with Williams, Keaton Anthony and Hojnar tallying multi-hit games. Williams was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and four runs scored, Anthony was 3-for-4 with his 20th double and Hojnar finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

GAME 2 BOX SCORE 

GAME 1

Iowa scored four runs early and that was more than enough for redshirt sophomore Adam Mazur in a 5-0 shutout victory at Michigan State Friday night.

Mazur was Mazur once again, scattering four hits over seven shutout innings to notch his seventh victory of the season. Mazur retired the first seven Spartans he faced and the Hawkeyes had back-to-back inning-ending double plays in the third and fourth innings.

The Minnesota native struck out seven against two walks in the game, moving him to 7-2 overall. In Big Ten play, Mazur is 5-1 with a 1.17 ERA, allowing nine runs (seven earned) on 29 hits over 53 2/3 innings. He has 51 strikeouts to 10 walks.

The Hawkeyes spotted Mazur a 1-0 lead before he even took the mound by manufacturing a run in the first. Sophomore Michael Seegers walked to leadoff the game and moved to third on Peyton Williams’ double to left field. With one out, redshirt senior Izaya Fullard’s sacrifice fly gave Iowa the lead.

Iowa put the first two base runners on in the second on back-to-back singles from Ben Wilmes and Cade Moss. With one out, redshirt sophomore Kyle Huckstorf found the gap in right center, knocking in two runs to push the lead to 3-0.

Huckstorf provided the Hawkeyes their fourth run in the fourth when he led off the inning with a solo home run to left field. It was the Wisconsin native’s first career home run.

Iowa tacked on an insurance run in the top of the ninth inning. After Brendan Sher singled and pinch-runner Sam Petersen stole second, Moss singled in the fifth run for his career-high third hit of the game.

Iowa finished with 12 hits in the contest with Sher (3-for-5), Moss (3-for-3) and Huckstorf (2-for-4) tallying multi-hit games.

GAME 1 BOX SCORE