April 19, 2008
IOWA CITY — The Iowa baseball team dropped the first game of a double header Saturday afternoon, 13-5, to Northwestern at Duane Banks Field. In the Iowa loss, the Hawkeyes scattered 10 hits and hit two long balls. The Wildcats took advantage of three errors and wet conditions to snap Iowa’s four-game winning streak.
Four Hawkeyes recorded multiple hits in game one. Balls continued to jump off the bat of Caleb Curry; he went 2-for-4 with a two-RBI homer. Kevin Hoef went 2-for-4 with a solo home run. Justin Toole went 3-for-4 with a triple, a walk and stolen base. Wes Frie was 2-for-3 with a double and walk. The Wildcats plated two in the top of the first to start the game off, 2-0. The inning featured an RBI-double by Jack Goebbert.
Iowa countered in the bottom of the frame with two homers and three runs. Hoef started things off for the Hawkeyes with a leadoff solo shot to left. The homer was Hoef’s third on the season and his second leadoff long ball. One batter later, Toole reached base on balls and was hit in on a Curry two-run home run to right. The round tripper was Curry’s second of the year and put Iowa up, 3-2.
Northwestern took advantage of a Hawkeye error to tie up the game in the top of the fourth, 3-3. Nate Roberts scored the run, having reached on a one-out double. The Wildcats took advantage of the rain that plagued the fifth inning, scoring three runs to take a 6-3 lead. Two of the three plated were unearned, and the inning featured another RBI-double by Goebbert.
The Wildcats sent 10 batters to the plate and added six insurance runs in the seventh inning.
Iowa attempted a comeback in the bottom of the seventh, scoring two to make it, 12-5. Kody McManis took advantage of the Wildcats’ lone error to reach base. He advanced to second on a balk and scored on a Zach McCool pinch-hit single up the middle. One batter later, Kyle Riffel reached on a fielder’s choice to put runners on first and third. Toole took advantage with an RBI-single up the middle. Curry followed suit with a single through the left side to force a pitching change and load the bases. However, the Hawkeye scoring threat was silenced with a 6-4-3 double play.
Iowa will take on Northwestern in the nightcap of the doubleheader at approximately 5 p.m.
GAME SUMMARY
Northwestern 200 130 610 --- 13 12 1
Iowa 300 000 200 --- 5 10 3
WP - Muraski (4-3)
LP - Alberts (3-3)