Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | Hawk Talk Monthly — April | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch | Box Score | Boxscore
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The University of Iowa softball team (17-24, 3-12 Big Ten) beat Rutgers (22-20, 6-9 Big Ten), 4-0, on Sunday afternoon at the Rutgers Softball Complex. Rutgers won the series 2-1.
The Hawkeyes played great defense, shutting out Rutgers and allowing only one hit. Sophomore Ashley Hamilton notched a triple, her first of the season and freshman Abby Lien hit a two-run home run.
HEAR FROM COACH GILLISPIE
“Sarah (Lehman) did a fantastic job in the circle. They only had one hit off of her, and 16 out of 21 batters she had the first pitch strike on. She kept them off balance with her change up, just all in all, it was a great job by her.”
“The second inning we exploded. We are seeing some really good things, and a lot from our freshmen, they’re making some good things happen.”
“We have Nebraska coming in on Wednesday, and those will be two good games for us. With Sarah looking strong, we have two strong pitchers in our lineup, and that will help us a lot.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
Iowa struck first in the second inning. Junior DoniRae Mayhew notched a single to left field to start the second inning. Freshmen Sydney Owens and Kate Claypool both contributed SAC bunts, moving Mayhew to third. Sophomore Ashley Hamilton hit a RBI triple, scoring Mayhew.
Junior Havyn Monteer notched an RBI single scoring Hamilton. The Hawkeyes took the lead in the second inning, 2-0.
In the fourth inning, Claypool and Owens both notched singles, but both runners were left on.
Iowa added insurance runs in the sixth inning. Senior Mallory Kilian hit a leadoff single to right field. Freshman Abby Lien hit a two-run home run, making the score 4-0 going into the seventh.
Iowa held the score, 4-0, for a shutout to beat Rutgers in the final game of the series.
IN THE CIRCLE
Sophomore Sarah Lehman pitched a complete game for the Hawkeyes contributing two strikeouts and only allowing one hit. Lehman notched her first win of the season.
NOTABLES
- Sophomore Ashley Hamilton notched her first triple of the season.
- Freshman Abby Lien hit a two-run home run, her fifth home run of the season.
- Mayhew, Kilian, Claypool, Owens, and Monteer all contributed singles.
- Iowa is now 16–1 when scoring first.
- Sarah Lehman notched her first win of the season.
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will come back to Iowa City and play on Wednesday, April 24, for a doubleheader vs. Nebraska at Bob Pearl Field. Game one will start at 4 p.m. (CT) and game two will start thirty minutes after game one concludes. Live stats will be available at hawkeyesports.com/sblive, live audio will be available on Hawkeye All-Access, subscription required, and live streaming will be on BTN Plus.