March 27, 2016
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By JAMES ALLAN
hawkeyesports.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Maryland rode a three-run first inning to a 4-1 victory over the University of Iowa baseball team on Sunday afternoon in the series finale at Duane Banks Field. The Hawkeyes won 2-of-3 games in the weekend series.
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“We played a decent game today, we just got beat,” said UI head coach Rick Heller. “We fell behind early with Calvin (Mathews) not having a great start, some ground balls found holes, and we were playing from behind.
“Overall I feel we made big strides this weekend. We had guys step up on the mound and pitch extremely well, and up-and-down the lineup, guys are swinging their bats with more confidence.”
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The Terrapins roughed up UI starter Calvin Mathews in the first with a one-out rally, using five straight hits and a sacrifice fly to take a 3-0 lead. Nick Dunn, Marty Costes, and Anthony Papio had RBIs in the inning. Maryland pushed its lead to 4-0 in the top of the third on an RBI single from A.J. Lee to end Mathews day.
The Hawkeyes broke onto the scoreboard in the bottom of the third via the long ball. Senior Eric Schenck-Joblinske turned on a 1-0 pitch and deposited the ball over the fence in right field to make the score 4-1.
It was the only run Iowa would muster against Terrapin starter Brian Shaffer. The right-hander allowed five hits in his second consecutive complete game and struck out six. He needed just 90 pitches on the afternoon.
“Shaffer pitched an amazing game, and we didn’t do a lot with him, but I tip my hat to him,” said Heller. “He induced weak contact all day long and the balls we hit hard went right at them.”
Mathews (0-2) suffered the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings. Redshirt junior Ryan Erickson was strong in relief, scattering two hits and striking out a pair in 4 1/3 innings.
“Erickson, the last two times out, has looked like the Erickson we expected this season,” said Heller. “He is much more in control and I thought that was a huge positive moving forward. He has had some ups and downs this season and he is finally getting to a point where you know what you’re going to get.”
Iowa (9-11, 2-1) returns to action Wednesday, hosting Northern Illinois at 6:05 p.m. (CT).
