Feb. 27, 2016
- Read the February issue of Hawk Talk Monthly
- 2016 Iowa Baseball Media Guide
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone/iPad app!
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye Android app!
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
By JAMES ALLAN
hawkeyesports.com
PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — The University of Iowa baseball team posted its first victory of the 2016 season with a 4-1 win over Dartmouth College on Saturday afternoon at the Snowbird Baseball Classic.
 |
“It feels good to get the win,” said UI head coach Rick Heller. “We beat a good pitcher in Duncan Robinson. Thank goodness we got to him early because he settled in and did a nice job after the first inning.”
Sophomore pitchers C.J. Eldred and Nick Allgeyer combined to limit the Big Green to one run on five hits and struck out nine in the game. Eldred (1-0) picked up his first career victory, going five innings, allowing one run on four hits with five strikeouts to one walk. Allgeyer gave up one hit over four shutout innings and fanned four to record the save.
“C.J. stepped up and competed for us,” said Heller. “C.J. is one of those guys that isn’t afraid of anything or anyone. We needed someone to step up and shut down this losing streak and say we’re going to win today. He did that.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
“Nick was outstanding out of the bullpen. He was a bulldog; we needed guys to step up and he did.”
The Hawkeye offense gave its pitching staff some breathing room early, pushing three runs across the plate in the first inning against Dartmouth starter Duncan Robinson, the reigning and preseason Ivy League Pitcher of the Year.
Senior Joel Booker led off the game with a hit-by-pitch and stole second base with one out. Senior Nick Roscetti delivered an RBI single through the left side to give Iowa a 1-0 lead. Sophomore Austin Guzzo and senior Jimmy Frankos also had RBI base hits in the inning.
The Big Green threatened in the bottom of the first, putting two runners on via a walk and error. Senior Eric Schenck-Joblinske got Eldred out of the inning, robbing Michael Ketchmark of a three-run home run in left field to end the inning.
“We caught a break early with Eric robbing a home run that would have tied the game,” said Heller. “That ended up being a big play in the game.”
Dartmouth got one run back in the bottom of the third, stringing together three straight singles against Eldred. Thomas Roulis tallied the RBI with a base hit to center field.
The Hawkeyes pushed an insurance run across the plate in the top of the fifth against Big Green reliever Chris Burkholder. With one out, junior Mason McCoy singled; Roscetti reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second, and scored on a Dartmouth fielding error.
Allgeyer entered in the sixth and retired the first five batters he faced before giving up a two-out double in the seventh. He got out of the inning with a groundout before retiring the final seven Big Green hitters. The southpaw struck out two of three batters in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Iowa finished with four runs on seven hits — all coming from different Hawkeyes. Roscetti went 1-for-5 with two runs and an RBI, while Guzzo and Frankos also had RBIs.
Robinson (0-1) suffered the defeat, allowing three runs on four hits over four innings. He struck out six and didn’t walk a batter. Burkholder allowed one unearned run on three hits over five innings and had six strikeouts to three walks.
The Hawkeyes (1-4) close out the Snowbird Classic on Sunday, hosting Chicago State at 9:30 a.m. (CT) in Port Charlotte, Florida, at the North Charlotte Regional Park.
“It’s not going to be easy,” said Heller. “It’s a morning game, so we’re going to have to show up and give great effort. We need to try to get better each day.”
