Feb. 25, 2007
LITTLE ROCK, AR – The University of Iowa baseball team picked up its first win of the season with 9-6 win over the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans in Little Rock Sunday.
Nick Erdman (1-0) picked up the win in relief for Iowa, while Joe Campbell (1-1) took the loss.
“It was good to get the first win of the year under our belts,” Head Coach Jack Dahm said. “I am happy with the way we played the whole weekend. Our pitchers threw well, and the hitters did a good job today. There are some things we still need to clean up, but that is expected the first time you get to play outside.”
The game marked the return of Hawkeye pitcher Casey O’Rourke, who sat out all of last season after being diagnosed with testicular cancer. O’Rourke pitched a third of an inning in relief, and allowed a three-run home run.
“It was great to see Casey out on the mound after all he has gone through,” Dahm said. “It might not have been the result he wanted to get, but it was really great to see him out there. He’s going to keep getting better as he gets stronger, and I look forward to putting him out there again.”
On offense, Wes Freie led the way by going 3-of-5 with a home run and four RBIs. Senior shortstop Jason White was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a stolen base.
Iowa stormed out of the gates, taking a 2-0 first-inning lead on an RBI groundout from Dusty Napoleon and a run-scoring single from Freie.
Arkansas-Little Rock cut the lead to 2-1 with a run in the second, but the Hawkeyes responded with two more in the top of the third with Freie’s two-run homer. Iowa stretched its lead to 7-1 in the fourth on an RBI single from Travis Sweet and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kevin Hoef.
The Trojans came back with a two-run home run off starter Steve Turnbull in the fourth, then cut the lead to 7-6 on a three-run homer from Osvaldo Torres. Erdman then replaced O’Rourke on the hill and shut the Trojans down, allowing just one hit in three and two-thirds innings pitched.
Iowa added insurance runs in the seventh and eighth innings, then handed the game to closer Mike Schurz, who threw a perfect ninth for his first save.
The Hawkeyes return to action next weekend when they travel to the Stetson Tournament.
GAME SUMMARYIowa 202 300 110 -- 9 11 1Arkansas-LR 010 230 000 -- 6 6 2
WP - Nick Erdman (1-0)LP - Joe Campbell (1-1)SV - Mike Schurz (1)="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>