March 19, 2010
EDINBURG, TX – The University of Iowa Hawkeye baseball team dropped another close contest on its Spring Break trip, this time falling 7-4 to UT-Pan American Friday night at Edinburg Baseball Stadium.
Iowa (4-11) generated four runs on six hits in its eighth straight loss. Kurtis Muller, Tyson Blaser, Kurt Lee, Dallas Burke, Phil Keppler and Andrew Host collected Iowa’s hits, all singles.
UT-Pan American (8-4) scored first with a pair of runs off Hawkeye starter Jarred Hippen. The inning featured three Bronc hits, including two RBI singles, to put the home team up 2-0.
Two more Broncs crossed home in the bottom of the third, both unearned. UT-Pan American scored its third run on a play at the plate that resulted in a Blaser error. The Broncs plated their fourth tally on a Mike McQuillan error at second base.
Iowa scored single runs in the fourth and sixth innings to make the score, 4-2. McQuillan scored Iowa’s first run on a throwing error by the left fielder. Lee crossed home plate in the sixth on a McQuillan sacrifice fly to leftfield.
The Broncs added two more in the bottom half of the seventh on a two-run homer to left field by Vincent Mejia, off Hawkeye freshman reliever Ricky Sandquist to increase their advantage to 6-2.
After surrendering two runs in the previous frame, the Hawkeyes got those two runs back in the eighth. Lee and Muller led off the inning with back-to-back walks. Three batters later, Burke came through with a clutch two-out, two-RBI single to left to cut the deficit to 6-4.
The home team scored their final run on a bases loaded balk called against Iowa reliever Michael Jacobs in the bottom of the eighth.
UT-Pan American starter Kyle Kotchie earned the win, going six innings, scattering only two hits and allowing two unearned runs. Hippen got the loss, pitching five innings, yielding eight hits, four runs (two earned) and striking out two.
The middle of the Broncs’ order, spots three-five, did the most damage, collecting seven hits and five RBI.
Iowa and UT-Pan American will conclude the three-game series with a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 1 p.m.