Hawkeye Baseball
Hawkeyes split doubleheader with Penn State
After rain postponed the series opener on Friday, Iowa and Penn State played a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. The Hawkeye offense outscored the Nittany Lions 9-6, after Brody Brecht was chased from the game in the first inning. Marcus Morgan made it through just 1.1 innings in the second game and Penn State was able to pick up an 8-4 win to split the doubleheader.
Game 1
The Hawkeyes jumped on Penn State starter Jaden Henline right away in the top of the first inning. Three straight hits from Keaton Anthony, Brennen Dorighi and Raider Tello got Iowa on the board. A two-run single from Tello made it 2-0. However, the start on the mound was a polar opposite of the start at the plate.
Brody Brecht was missing the zone with all of his pitches and was pulled after facing just eight batters. Brecht walked five hitters, while a Tayven Kelley single gave the Nittany Lions an early 4-2 lead. Jack Whitlock came on from the bullpen to get the final out of the inning. He ended up being the reason why the Hawkeyes ended up getting the W.
Whitlock threw a season-high 5.1 innings, including five strikeouts to just one walk and two hits. Jay Harry drove in an unearned run in the second inning with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-2, but Jack was lights out. He retired 14 of the last 16 batters he faced and threw 45 of his 68 (66.2%) pitches for strikes.
Meanwhile, the Iowa offense stepped up and drove in runs to pick Brody up for his rough start. Trailing 5-3 in the fourth inning, Ben Wilmes got a leadoff single, which was followed by a single from Keaton Anthony. The ball snuck past PSU CF Tayven Kelley and reached the wall, which allowed Wilmes to score to cut the deficit to 5-4.
Penn State reliever Travis Luensmann tried to give the Nittany Lions staff some length like Whitlock did for the Hawkeyes, but he fell apart in the fifth inning. Two walks and a hit loaded the bases for Iowa, while an RBI single from Ben Wilmes tied the game at 5. Keaton Anthony followed with a grand slam to left field and all the sudden the Hawkeyes led the game 9-5.
Jared Simpson retired six of seven batters faced in the seventh and eighth innings with three strikeouts. He started the ninth inning, but a leadoff triple from Tayven Kelley knocked Simpson from the game. Luke Llewellyn came on from the bullpen, but the Nittany Lions inched closer with an RBI single from leadoff man Kyle Hannon. Llewellyn bounced back to to retire the final two batters of the game and Iowa picked up a 9-6 victory in the delayed series opener.
The Hawkeye offense clubbed 17 hits, including five from Keaton Anthony and three from Raider Tello. Anthony led the way with four RBI’s, while Ben Wilmes and Raider Tello each had a pair of runs driven in.
Game 2
The second game started just like the first game on the mound for the Hawkeyes. After three straight weeks of solid starts, Marcus Morgan struggled to find the zone early in his start. Two four-pitch walks set the table in the first inning and Grant Norris cashed in with a three-run home run to make it 3-0 Nittany Lions. Marcus walked the bases loaded in the second inning and true freshman Aaron Savary came on from the bullpen. Thomas Bramley drove in a run with an RBI groundout, but Savary escaped the inning with just one run crossing the plate.
Savary, just like Whitlock in game one, was able to to settle things down and give the Iowa offense a chance. Kyle Hannon was able to extend the PSU lead to 5-0 with a solo home run in the fourth inning, but Savary retired ten of 12 batters faced going into the sixth inning.
The gutty effort out of the bullpen gave the offense a chance to claw back into the game. Penn State starter Jordan Morales got through 4.0 scoreless innings, including three strikeouts to one walk, but PSU head coach Rob Cooper opted to go Daniel Ouderkirk in the fifth inning. That decision allowed the Hawkeyes to swing the momentum back their way.
Iowa picked up three hits and three walks, including a two-run double from Brennen Dorighi, as well as an RBI double from Raider Tello. Ouderkirk recorded just one out and exited the game with the bases loaded in a 5-3 game. Unfortunately for the Hawkeyes, Anthony Steele was able to get a strikeout and a fly out to preserve the lead.
Aaron Savary got a strikeout to start the sixth inning, but back-to-back walks knocked him from the game and forced Coach Heller to search for an answer. Jacob Henderson faced one batter and issued a walk, before giving way to Luke Llewellyn. The decision to bring him back for his second outing of the day went sideways. Kyle Hannon drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, but it was a bases loaded walk and a wild pitch that did the damage. PSU extended their lead to 8-3. The Iowa pitching staff walked 12 batters in the game and six of them came around to score. The staff threw just 50.3% of their 155 pitches for a strike in game two.
Steven Miller came in for Penn State and nailed down the final nine outs of the game. A bunt single in the ninth from Sam Petersen drove in a run, but a Kyle Huckstorf 4-6-3 double play ended the Hawkeyes mini rally, as well as the game.
The Iowa offense finished the game 0/7 with two outs and 3/11 (.273) with runners in scoring position. They were also just 1/4 with runners on third and less than two outs. Brennen Dorighi led the way with two hits and two RBI’s.
Up next for the Hawkeyes…
With the split, Iowa moves to 31-11 on the season and 8-6 in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes are currently sitting at #39 in the RPI. The series finale between the Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions is set for a 12:00pm first pitch on BTN+. Weather is expected to impact the game, but Ty Langenberg wil be on the mound for Iowa. Penn State has not yet announced a starter.
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