April 12, 2008
BLOOMINGTON, IN — The Iowa baseball team came from behind to win the first game of a doubleheader at Indiana Saturday at the windy Sembower Field, 12-11. The Hawkeyes lost a five-run lead in the bottom of the seventh after a Josh Phegley grand slam answered the previously 12 unanswered Hawkeye runs. However, Iowa held on for its second league victory. The game featured a season-high 16 Hawkeye hits, including a home run, a triple and four doubles.
Iowa’s offense continued to be red-hot, with eight different Hawkeyes collecting hits. Iowa was led by Justin Brauer who was a perfect 4-for-4 and scored three runs. Kevin Hoef swung the bat with authority and was 5-for-5 with a single, double, triple and five RBI. Kyle Riffel went 3-for-5 with a three-run home run, his first round-tripper of the season, and Wes Freie was 3-for-4 with a double and scoring two runs.
Indiana got on the board first, scoring two in the bottom of the first to take an early 2-0 lead. The inning featured Phegley RBI-double to right center. The Hoosiers added another five runs in the second to make it 7-0.
The Hawkeyes’ offense exploded in the third, batting around the order registering seven hits and plating seven runs to come back and tie it up, 7-7. Freie started the tempo with a single to left center, Kody McManis reached on a walk. Brauer extended his hitting streak to six games to load the bases. Hoef, who entered the game hitting .500 with the bases loaded, cleared the bases with his third triple of the season. One batter later, Justin Toole hit an RBI single to add another Iowa run and cut the deficit to three. Caleb Curry extended the frame with an infield single to put two on for pinch-hitter T.J. Cataldo. Catlado came up big with a two-RBI double and Freie followed suite with a double to score Cataldo.
Iowa picked up where it left off in the fourth to take a 10-7 advantage. Brauer started things off with an infield single, followed by a Hoef single to center, advancing Brauer to third. With runners on the corners, Riffel came up big with a three-run shot to right center to give Iowa a 10-7 margin.
The Black and Gold added two insurance runs in the fifth to make it, 12-7. Freie led that Hawkeyes off with a single to left and was moved over to second by a McManis sac bunt. Brauer continued to swing the bat well with an infield single to put runners on first and second. Hoef cleared the bases with a two-RBI double to center and stretch Iowa’s lead.
The Hoosiers didn’t give up in the bottom of the seventh and answered Iowa’s 12 runs with four to make it 12-11. Iowa reliever Kyle Heim came on to record the final three outs and notch his third save of the season.
Iowa is scheduled to take on Indiana in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Sembower Field. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m.
GAME SUMMARYIowa 007 320 0 - 12 16 1Indiana 250 000 4 - 11 11 0
WP - Erdman (2-3)LP - Tufts (2-4)SV - Heim (3)