May 16, 2011
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa baseball team hosts Creighton in its final home game of the season Tuesday night at 6:05 p.m. at Duane Banks Field. Admission is $3 for adults, and free for UI students and youths. Iowa has won four of its last six games entering Tuesday’s contest.
The game against the Bluejays marks the final home game for seven Hawkeye seniors. Seniors Tyson Blaser (Taylor Ridge, Ill.), Zach Kenyon (Davenport), Kevin Lee (Oak Lawn, Ill.), Kurt Lee (Redding, Calif.), Zach McCool (Manchester), Jeff Pacha (Iowa City) and Trevor Willis (Homer Glen, Ill.) will be playing their final contest at Duane Banks Field.
The contest also marks UI head coach Jack Dahm’s fourth game against his alma mater. Dahm is 1-2 against the Bluejays as the Hawkeye head coach. Dahm spent 18 years as a member of the Bluejays program. He left Creighton after compiling 283 wins against 276 losses in 10 seasons as head coach. Dahm spent four years as a student-athlete at Creighton (1986-89) and four years as an assistant (1990-93). In October of 1993, Dahm was hired as the Bluejays’ head coach, becoming the youngest head coach in Division I at the age of 25.
Creighton is coached by Ed Servais. Servais was hired as an assistant at Creighton by Dahm in 1997 and became head coach after Dahm left for Iowa. The Bluejays are 35-13 overall and 12-6 in Missouri Valley Conference play this season. Creighton is 17-8 away from home, including a 14-7 mark at road sites.
Last weekend, the Hawkeyes (20-28, 9-12) took two of three from Ohio State for the second straight year. Iowa and starting pitcher Jarred Hippen blanked Ohio State in game one at Bill Davis Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, 7-0. Hippen, who earned Big Ten co-Pitcher of the Week honors for his efforts, tallied the win while throwing his third complete game of the year and seventh of his career. The junior scattered three hits while striking out five. The three hits equaled a season low for the Buckeyes. The Iowa offense recorded 11 hits in the win. Five Hawkeyes recorded an RBI and the top four batters in Iowa’s lineup each recorded multi-hit games. Senior Trevor Willis went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Senior Zach McCool went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs. Senior Mike McQuillan tallied his team-leading 19th multi-hit contest, going 2-for-5 with two RBI. Freshman Taylor Zeutenhorst continued his hot streak, going 2-for-5 with two RBI.
The Black and Gold rallied to stun Ohio State in the middle game, 9-8, in 10 innings. Trailing 8-4 in the top of the ninth inning, the Hawkeyes plated four runs to send the game to extras before scoring the game-winning run in the 10th inning. Iowa pounded out 13 hits in the victory. Eight Hawkeyes tallied a base hit and five recorded an RBI. Seniors Tyson Blaser and Kurt Lee and junior Chett Zeise tallied multi-hit games. Blaser went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Zeise went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Lee went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Junior Phil Keppler recorded two RBI. Iowa also notched seven walks.
Ohio State claimed the series finale, 10-4, to avoid the sweep. The series win marked Iowa’s second straight Big Ten series victory after taking two-of-three from Penn State, May 6-8.
The Hawkeyes travel to Purdue for their final conference set later this week. Iowa and Purdue will play Thursday and Friday at 3 p.m. The Hawkeyes and Boilermakers will play their final regular season game Saturday at 1 p.m. All times listed are central.