April 23, 2004
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – Iowa starter Nathan Johnson pitched his second straight complete game to pick up his team-leading fourth win of the season in the 6-3 win over the Nittany Lions at Beaver Field on Friday afternoon.
Johnson allowed three earned runs on nine hits in the game. The senior right hander struck out five Penn State batters, while walking three.
The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 4-0 lead after four innings. Iowa scored a pair of runs in the second after Nate Yoho and Kris Welker got things rolling with back-to-back hits. After Jeff Gremley reached on a throwing error by Penn State starter Jim Farrell to load the bases, Jesse Brownell followed with a sacrifice fly to centerfield to put Iowa on the board. Welker crossed the plate for the second run after L.J. Mims was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Iowa added two more runs in the third. Andy Lytle hit a lead-off single through the right side to start the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jim Reid. Yoho followed with his third hit of the day, an RBI double to right centerfield. The Hawkeyes made the score 4-0 when Gremley hit an RBI single up the middle.
The Nittany Lions scored two runs in the bottom of the inning to make the score 4-2. With two runners on, Derrick Barr laced a full count double over Yoho’s head in right field to knock in a pair.
The Hawkeyes plated a pair of insurance runs in the eighth after collecting four straight hits with one out. Reid tripled to right centerfield before Mike Mogard pinch ran for the Iowa designated hitter and crossed the plate on Yoho’s double to right field. Welker followed with an RBI single up the middle to make the score 6-2.
Penn State scored an unearned run in the ninth. Lance Thompson tripled with one out and scored on an error by Gremley.
Yoho and Welker paced the Hawkeye offense as each player went 4-for-5 in the game. Yoho scored three runs and collected two RBIs, while tying an Iowa record with three doubles. Former Hawkeyes Toby Humes and Brad Carlson were the last to accomplish the feat in 1999.
The two teams will return to action for a doubleheader tomorrow afternoon at Beaver Field beginning at 12 p.m.