April 16, 2007
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – The University of Iowa Hawkeyes avoided a sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Golden Gophers Monday, winning 8-7 in the series finale. Iowa ups its record to 14-13 (4-7), while Minnesota falls to 21-7 (5-2).
“We did a lot of good things today,” Iowa Head Coach Jack Dahm said. “We manufactured runs early, and were able to grab some momentum. Then, when Minnesota came back to tie it up, we were able to respond and get back in front.”
Nick Erdman earned the victory with an impressive performance on the hill. The sophomore allowed just six hits in six innings pitched while striking out two.
On offense, Caleb Curry led the way by going 3-of-4 with three RBIs. Dusty Napoleon was 2-of-4 and added his league-leading 37th RBI.
Iowa took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Curry ripped an RBI triple. The junior picked up another RBI in the third, and sophomore Justin Toole gave the Hawkeyes a 3-0 lead in the top of the fourth.
The Golden Gophers tied things up in the bottom of the fifth, getting an RBI double from Matt Nohelty and a two-run single from Nate Hanson.
The score remained tied until the seventh, when Iowa broke out with four runs to take a 7-4 lead. Napoleon started things off with an RBI single, and Travis Sweet added a second run by scoring on a wild pitch. Matt Wooldrik and Kevin Hoef each added RBIs in the inning.
Iowa looked to be cruising to victory when Minnesota struck back and cut the lead to 7-6 with a three-run home run off the bat of Tijl Vanderwege.
Curry gave the Hawkeyes a much-needed insurance run in the top of the ninth with an RBI double. In the bottom of the ninth, Mike Mee reached on an error, then came around to score on a single from Kyle Baran. Closer Mike Schurz was able to finish things off however, and earned his sixth save.
Iowa returns to action tomorrow when it hosts Northern Iowa at Banks Field. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
GAME SUMMARYIowa 101 100 401 -- 8 10 1Minnesota 000 030 031 -- 7 11 0
WP - Nick Erdman (3-2)LP - Kyle Carr (0-1)SV - Mike Schurz (6)="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>
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