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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa baseball team split a doubleheader against 11th-ranked Indiana on Friday afternoon at Duane Banks Field. The Hawkeyes dropped game one, 4-2, before rebounding with a 5-1 victory in game two.
It is the highest ranked opponent Iowa has defeated since the 2008 season when the Hawkeyes downed seventh-ranked Vanderbilt, 6-3.
GAME 1 | #11 Indiana 4, Iowa 2
The Hoosiers pounded out 11 hits, out-hitting the Hawkeyes, 11-6, in the opener to post a 4-2 victory in both team’s Big Ten opener.
Indiana grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the second, courtesy of a Matt Lloyd opposite field solo home run before the Hawkeyes evened the score in the third. Sophomore Ben Norman tripled and scored on a Mitchell Boe sacrifice fly.
The Hoosiers took control with a two-run sixth and added a fourth run in the eighth. A solo home run from Logan Kaletha put Indiana on top before Ryan Fineman’s RBI single made the score 3-1.
Indiana loaded the bases in the eighth inning and scored its final run when Iowa reliever Cam Baumann plunked Laren Eustace to make the score 4-1. Senior Nick Nelsen entered with one out and got out of the jam, striking out two to leave the bases loaded to give the Hawkeyes a chance.
Iowa got one run back in the eighth when sophomore Justin Jenkins hit an opposite field solo home run to left field — his first career homer — to cut the lead to 4-2. The Hawkeyes led off the ninth with back-to-back singles, but IU reliever Cal Krueger struck out two of the final three hitters to notch his second save of the season.
Redshirt junior Nick Allgeyer (2-2) took the loss, allowing three runs on 10 hits over seven innings. He had five strikeouts against one walk. Hoosier starter Jonathan Stiever (3-1) went seven strong, scattering three hits and allowing one earned run.
HELLER ON GAME 1
“Nick (Allgeyer) did a nice job, he pitched well and battled. The last two games I haven’t felt like he has his best stuff, but he consistently gives us a chance to win. We had opportunities to score and didn’t and that’s why we lost 4-2.”
GAME 2 | Iowa 5, #11 Indiana 1
Junior Brady Schanuel tossed seven shutout innings and the Hawkeyes two-hit Indiana’s high-powered offense to post a 5-1 game two victory.
Schanuel surrendered a first inning single, but he didn’t allow anything else through seven to record his fourth victory of the season. The right-handed pitched around a walk in the third and two in the fourth before retiring the final nine batters he faced.
Schanuel struck out a career-high 11 (his first six outs were Ks). It was the most strikeouts by an Iowa pitcher since 2004 when Nathan Johnson fanned 14 Hoosiers in Bloomington.
“My fastball command was there and my change-up location and movement was there,” said Schanuel. “My slider and curve ball was slipping a little bit, but I got it over when I needed to. Overall I was keeping them on their toes and keeping them guessing.”
Iowa’s offense spotted Schanuel a 3-0 lead, scoring two in the first and one in the second to knock out Indiana starter Pauly Milto. The right-hander entered the game with a 3-1 record and a 1.96 ERA.
The Hawkeyes loaded the bases in the first with two-out singles from Tyler Cropley and Austin Guzzo and a Kyle Crowl walk before Matt Hoeg’s RBI single gave Iowa a 1-0 lead. Jenkins followed with a walk to force in the second run.
Iowa added to its lead with back-to-back doubles in the second. Junior Robert Neustrom split the right center field gap to with two outs before Cropley followed with an RBI two-bagger into the left centerfield gap to make the score 3-0.
The Hawkeyes scored their final two runs in the sixth and eighth innings, courtesy of solo home runs from Chris Whelan and Tyler Cropley. It was Whelan’s first home run of the season and Cropley’s second.
The Hoosiers scored their lone run in the eighth against Iowa reliever Zach Daniels. Pinch-hitter Sam Crail reached via a hit by pitch to start the inning before scoring on a Luke Miller sacrifice fly.
Cropley (3-for-4, 2 RBIs, 2 R) and Neustrom (2-for-5, R) accounted for five of Iowa’s nine hits. Cropley had a home run and double, while Neustrom had a pair of doubles.
HELLER ON GAME 2
“Brady pitched well today; he was effectively wild and had a good fastball going. He fights back and does not give in. He’ll buckle down and pound the zone to get himself out of a jam. It says a lot about this team and we’re maturing to be able to bounce back in the second game. This team can show up every day and they’re capable of coming out and competing against a championship team.”
OF NOTE…
- Iowa’s game two victory snapped Indiana’s seven-game winning streak.
- The Hawkeyes have hit at least one home run in seven of their last eight contests.
- Three players hit home runs Friday – Justin Jenkins, Chris Whelan, and Tyler Cropley.
- Schanuel’s 11 strikeouts are the most by a Hawkeye pitcher since 2004.
- Iowa moves to 6-2 at Duane Banks Field this season.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes (13-8, 1-1) will play the rubber game of the three-game series Sunday at 1:05 p.m. (CT) at Duane Banks Field.
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