April 10, 2005
ANN ARBOR, MI – The University of Iowa baseball team ended their four-game road series with Michigan on a good note, defeating the Wolverines 7-6 Sunday at Ray Fisher Field in Ann Arbor, MI. The win means Iowa (9-15, 5-3) took three-of-the-four games against Michigan (18-10, 1-7), who was a preseason pick to win the Big Ten Conference Championship.
Michigan jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first, getting an RBI groundout from Matt Butler and a run-scoring single off the bat of Jeff Kunkel.
Senior centerfielder Jesse Brownell tied the game up with one swing in the top of the second, blasting a two-run home run. It was his first of the season. The Hawkeyes took the lead in the next inning, getting RBIs from Andy Lytle and Kris Welker to take a 4-2 advantage.
The Wolverines took advantage of an untimely Iowa error in the bottom of the fourth, scoring four unearned runs to retake the lead at 6-4.
The Hawkeyes came storming back in the top of the sixth, posting three runs to take a 7-6 lead. After Brownell was hit by a pitch, Andy Cox and Jason White came through with back-to-back singles to plate the senior for the second time in the game. Senior Justin Petty then ripped a pinch-hit triple to bring Cox and White home and give Iowa a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
The bullpen took over after that, with Chris Zinn, Aaron Reasland and Tim Gudex shutting down the Wolverine bats the rest of the way. Zinn picked up his first win in a Hawkeye uniform, while Gudex earned his third save of the weekend.
Iowa will play a pair of non-conference games this week, taking on Northern Iowa Tuesday and battling Northern Illinois Wednesday. Both games will start at 6 p.m. and be played at Banks Field.