Feb. 26, 2005
Dothan, AL – The University of Iowa baseball team fell to Middle Tennessee State, 11-9, Saturday in day two of the Wiregrass Baseball Classic in Dothan, AL.
A day after having its bats silenced by Troy State, Iowa (0-2) pounded out 16 hits on the day, with four Hawkeyes having multi-hit games. Middle Tennessee State was equal to the task, however, cranking out 15 hits of their own and taking advantage of three Iowa errors.
The Hawkeyes jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first when L.J. Mims led off with a single, advanced to second on a passed ball and scored when Andy Lytle reached on an error.
The Blue Raiders responded in their half of the inning, using an RBI double, a sacrifice fly and a balk to push a trio of runs across the plate and take a one-run lead.
Iowa came right back in the top of the second by loading the bases on three straigh singles for junior Nate Price, who wiped them clean with a grand slam. The home run was Price’s first hit in an Iowa uniform.
A Middle Tennessee State run cut the Iowa lead to 6-4, but the Hawkeyes got an RBI single from Mims in the top of the third to re-claim the three-run lead. That score remained until the bottom of the fifth, when the Blue Raiders put five runs on Hawkeye relief pitcher Ryan Dupic.
The Hawkeyes tied the game at 9-9 in the top of the sixth, using singles from Nate Yoho, Kris Welker and Brian Burmester to load the bases. Yoho scored on a wild pitch, while Welker came home on an RBI groundout from Dusty Napoleon.
The Hawkeye bullpen was unable to hold the Blue Raider offense back, and Middle Tennessee State added runs in the bottom of the sixth and eighth to ice the game and take the 11-9 win. Iowa threatened with a pair of hits in the top of the ninth, but was unable to push a run across the plate.
Iowa returns to action tomorrow with a 10 a.m. game aganst Ohio State.