Hawkeyes Power Past Akron, 17-3

March 2, 2012

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Iowa baseball team defeated Akron Friday, 17-3. The 17 runs mark the most since the Hawkeyes defeated Michigan State on April 3 last year, 19-7. The game was played at Raymond C. Hand Park as part of the Austin Peay/Riverview Inn Classic.

The Iowa offense belted out 15 hits, including seven extra-base hits. Senior Chett Zeise led the way, recording four RBI, two home runs and a double. Zeise is the first Hawkeye since Trevor Willis in 2010 to record two long balls in a single game. Zeise, and freshman Ryan Rumpf (2-for-5 with three RBI), Jake Yacinich (2-for-4), and Kris Goodman (3-for-6) each recorded multi-hit games.

“I was very impressed with how are guys swung the bat, especially early in the game,” said head coach Jack Dahm. “They had a veteran pitcher on the mound, one of the best pitchers in the history of their program. I thought our guys did a great job, up-and-down the lineup. We scored early and often.”

The Hawkeyes (2-5) struck first with three runs in the top of the first. Senior Mike McQuillan opened the frame with a lead-off walk. Zeise followed with a double down the right field line, scoring McQuillan. Rumpf then tripled to center to score Zeise and give Iowa a 2-0 lead. Sophomore Taylor Zeutenhorst followed and roped a double to center to score Rumpf and give the Hawkeyes a 3-0 advantage.

Akron (0-7) answered with two runs in the bottom of the opening frame to cut the Iowa lead to 3-2.

The Black and Gold responded with two in the top of the second on a bases loaded RBI single by Rumpf to push the lead to 5-2.

The Hawkeyes used a five-run frame in the top of the third to increase their advantage to 10-2. Yacinich, Goodman and McQuillan, each tallied RBI hits before Zeise launched a two-run home run to center.

Akron used a solo home run in the third to cut the lead to 10-3.

In the eighth, Iowa scored three runs, including a two-run triple by freshman Jake Mangler, to push its lead to 13-3.

Zeise launched his second home run of the game to center in the ninth to make the score 14-3. With the bases loaded later in the frame, senior Kasey Carling singled up the middle to push across two more runs and make the score 16-3. Yacinich followed with an RBI single to left to make the final score 17-3.

Jarred Hippen started and recorded the win. The senior pitched eight innings, allowing three runs while scattering 10 hits. He struck out six. Junior Andrew Hanse pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the Hawkeyes.

“Jarred Hippen did a great job,” said Dahm. “The weather conditions were very tough. It was wet and extremely windy. For Hippen to throw like he did, with the weather conditions, is a real credit to him. It shows the type of maturity that he has now as a pitcher. We played errorless baseball again and made some nice plays behind him as well.”

Akron’s Andrew Brown took the loss. He pitched three innings, allowing 10 runs on nine hits.

Iowa returns to action Saturday in the Austin Peay/River View Inn Classic when it plays host Austin Peay. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. (CT).