March 20, 2004
SARASOTA, FL – Army starter Nick Hill struck out 11 Iowa batters in seven innings to lead the Black Knights to a 6-2 win over the Hawkeyes. Iowa heads home with a 5-9 record after splitting its eight games in Florida.
Hill allowed a single to Kris Welker in the first inning, and then proceeded to strike out six of the next eight batters he faced, including striking out the side in the third. On the night, the freshman lefty scattered three hits and walked zero batters for his fourth win of the season.
Army jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after four innings. Designated hitter Nathan Cork drove in the Black Knight’s first run in the second, and second baseman Nate Stone scored the fourth inning run.
Left fielder Jesse Brownell, who went 2-for-4 in the game, led off the fifth inning with Iowa’s second hit, a stand-up triple down the right field line. Designated hitter Luis Andrulonis had an RBI groundout to the second baseman to cut the score to 2-1.
In the bottom half of the fifth, Black Knight catcher Skyler Williamson extended Army’s lead after he blasted a two-run homer over the left field fence to make the score 4-1. Shortstop Kyle Scogin crossed the plate on the long ball after doubling to lead off the inning.
Army added two runs in the seventh to extend its lead to 6-1. Left fielder Milan Dinga had an RBI triple and scored a run in the inning.
Iowa scored a run in the eighth after three straight hits. L.J. Mims and pinch hitter Kevin Sunderman hit back-to-back singles and shortstop Jeff Gremley followed with and RBI double over the centerfielder’s head.
Freshman Casey O’Rourke pitched five innings in the first start of his Hawkeye career, allowing three earned runs on seven hits with a strikeout. Ryan Dupic struck out four batters in three innings of relief.
Iowa will face Western Illinois in its home opener on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Duane Banks Field.