24 Hawkeyes to Watch – 2017-18 | Hawk Talk Monthly — February 2018 | Game One Box Score (PDF) | Game Two Box Score (PDF) | Boxscore
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The University of Iowa softball team started day two of the Texas A&M Invitational with an 8-0, 5-inning victory over Butler. The Hawkeyes dropped their second game of the day, 3-2, to No. 6 Texas A&M.
The weather was cool but the Hawkeye bats were hot in game one of Saturday’s action. With runners in scoring position in the first inning, junior Mallory Kilian hit a two-RBI single to left field, scoring senior Allie Wood and freshman Aralee Bogar.
Two batters later, senior Sarah Kurtz notched her second RBI of the weekend, scoring sophomore Devin Cantu.
Iowa added three more runs in the second inning. Senior Daniella Ibarra scored on a Bulldog miscue before Cantu smacked a single up the middle to bring Wood and Bogar across the plate.
The Hawkeyes extended their lead to 8-0 in the fifth inning. Wood’s RBI single scored senior Cheyenne Pratt, while Bogar hit an RBI single up the middle to score Ibarra.
Junior Erin Riding (1-0) earned the victory, pitching a complete game for the five-inning, three-hit shutout.
The Hawkeyes kept the momentum going in game two as they faced No. 6 Texas A&M. Iowa broke through the scoreless game in the third inning when a Cantu RBI plated Pratt.
The Aggies tied it in the bottom half of the third on a Hawkeye passed ball, but Iowa regained the lead in the top of the fifth inning when Ibarra scored her third run of the season off a Bogar single to center.
Texas A&M drew even again in the bottom of the sixth.
In the bottom of the seventh, Aggie first baseman, Tori Vidales hit a solo home run to give the sixth-ranked home team the 3-2 win.
Sophomore Allison Doocy suffered the loss against the Aggies, recording five strikeouts in 6.1 innings pitched.
HAWKS HELPING HAWKS
- Five Hawkeyes collected RBIs in Saturday’s competition: Allie Wood (1), Aralee Bogar (2), Devin Cantu (3), Mallory Kilian (2), Sarah Kurtz (1).
- Kilian’s two RBIs against Butler were a season-best. She had one RBI against EIU on Feb. 9.
- Cantu’s two RBIs against Butler tied a career best. The last time she had multiple RBIs in a game was against Western Illinois on March 25, 2017.
QUOTING HEAD COACH MARLA LOOPER
“We came out in game one today with the right attitude. Our energy was high and we took care of business the way we know how to. When you take care of the parts of the game you can control and stay in an attack mindset, good things will happen.
“Texas A&M is a great ball club. We can step on the field with anyone in the country. I’m a firm believer in that, and our players are firm believers in that. Today, we needed to lay off of pitches. We started swinging at balls outside of the zone and that hurt us. Doocy was confident on the mound. She knew she was facing a powerful offense and she did a nice job hitting spots, mixing locations, and commanding the zone. Unfortunately, we didn’t take advantage of offensive opportunities like we should have. People might say this was a moral victory for us, but I don’t believe in those. I believe in taking care of what we need to take care of.”
RECORDS UPDTATE
Iowa: 3-5
Butler: 2-6
Texas A&M: 8-0
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes finish competition at the Texas A&M Invitational against Tulsa at 9 a.m. (CT) on Sunday.
