CHARLESTON, S.C. – The 20th-ranked University of Iowa baseball team fell to Lehigh, 8-4, on Sunday morning at Wando River Field at Shipyard Park.
Sophomore Cade Obermueller started on the mound for the Hawkeyes, firing four innings and striking out a career-high seven batters. The Iowa City, Iowa, native allowed one hit and walked two.
Davis Cop recorded a 2-for-4 day with two RBI. Sam Petersen put together another multi-hit game, going 2-for-5 with a run scored. Raider Tello finished the day 1-for-4, hitting his first home run of the season.
“Cade gave us a good start, going four innings and not allowing a run,” head coach Rick Heller said. “Davis, Sam and Raider hit the ball well for us today. Reese Moore made his first start and did a nice job behind the plate. He doubled and hit three balls hard. Kellen Strohmeyer made his debut and had his first hit as a Hawkeye.”
“On offense, we struggled to get things going,” Heller added. “We gave up those six runs in the fifth inning after getting two outs and that put us behind on a day that was tough to score. We didn’t get a lead-off hitter on the entire game. We fought back, but couldn’t get the big hit or inning of our own. Lehigh didn’t give us any free bases and they made some nice defensive plays with runners in scoring position. Our hitters ran into a lot of bad luck with several line drives today.”
Cop gave Iowa the lead in the first inning with an RBI-single that scored Petersen.
Lehigh put a couple of runners on in the third inning, but a key 5-2 put out from Raider Tello to Reese Moore secured the first out of the inning. A strikeout and groundout ended the Mountain Hawk threat in the third.
The Mountain Hawks put up a crooked number in the fifth, getting on the board and scoring six runs to take the lead. Lehigh tallied four hits, including a bases-clearing double and a two-run home run, and drew two walks off of redshirt junior Reece Beuter.
Iowa answered in the bottom of the fifth, courtesy of an opposite-field two-run home run from Tello. Michael Seegers singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch before Tello’s big fly to right.
After Lehigh added a run in the top of the seventh, Iowa responded by loading the bases via two hits and a walk. Cop tallied another Hawkeye run on an RBI-single. A fly out to left ended the rally and the Hawkeyes left the bases loaded.
The Mountain Hawks would add an insurance run in the ninth to hold off the Hawkeyes.
OF NOTE
- Cade Obermueller struck out a career-high seven batters.
- Sophomore Kellen Strohmeyer recorded his first career hit, flaring a single into center in his first at-bat.
- Iowa out-hit Lehigh, 10-8.
- The Hawkeyes struck out 12 Lehigh batters.
- Reece Beuter, Brant Hogue, Kellen Strohmeyer made their Hawkeye debuts.
NEXT UP
The Hawkeyes (2-1) host Loras at Duane Banks Field on Tuesday, Feb. 20. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m. (CT).