April 17, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, IN – The University of Iowa baseball team lost game one of a Saturday doubleheader, 4-1, to Indiana at windy Sembower Field. The Hawkeyes were unable to get the timely hit in game one, leaving 11 runners on base, including two in the first and three in the fifth.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when clean-up hitter Alex Dickerson led off with a solo home run to right field. The big fly was his team-leading 16th of the season.
Iowa (13-17, 3-4) quickly answered, tying the game, 1-1, in the top of the fifth. Andrew Host scored the game-tying run on a fielding error by Indiana’s third baseman off the bat of Zach McCool. Hoosier starting pitcher Drew Leininger was able to keep the Hawkeyes to only one run as he got Phil Keppler to fly out to right field with the bases loaded to end the frame.
Indiana (17-15, 3-4) regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth on a Tyler Rogers sacrifice fly to right field to plate Micah Johnson, who started the inning with a triple.
The Hoosiers added insurance runs in the sixth and eighth innings. Josh Lyon powered a home run to right field in the sixth frame and Sterling Mack recorded a fielder’s choice RBI in the eighth for Indiana’s fourth and final run.
Leininger, who is the Big Ten leader in ERA, earned his sixth victory of the season, throwing seven and two-thirds, allowing only one unearned run, scattering seven hits and striking out two. Chris Squires got the final four outs to collect his sixth save.
Nick Brown started for the visitors and got the loss, throwing six and two-thirds, allowing three runs, seven hits and struck out five. Zach Robertson and Patrick Schatz threw one-third and one inning, respectively out of the bullpen for the Hawkeyes.
Tyson Blaser was the only Hawkeye to collect multiple hits in game one’s loss. Blaser went 2-for-4 with a double. Ryan Durant, Dan Sheppard, Mike Corbeil, Sean Flanagan, Host and McCool registered Iowa’s six other hits. McCool and Blaser’s hits were doubles.
The Hawkeyes and Hoosiers will start the nightcap at approximately 1:30 p.m. today.