IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa baseball team defeated Northwestern, 6-5, in 13 innings on Sunday afternoon at Duane Banks Field.
“It was a big game for this team,” said head coach Rick Heller. “To have this kind of weekend and get a sweep. Get a win on senior day and wins in front of a big crowd all three days. To do it without the guys we were missing, it says a lot about the makeup and character of the guys on this team.”
It was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Hawkeyes and Wildcats tied at 5-5 at the end of regulation. Redshirt freshman Kellen Strohmeyer played the role of hero after entering on defense in the top half of the frame. Michael Seegers hit a double and Strohemeyer brought him home to end the game with a single to left center in just his 17th at bat of the season.
“You have to stay focused,” said Strohmeyer. “You never know when stuff like that happens. Always trusting the work that we do during the week in batting practice. I think that was my first at bat in conference play so far. Just prepare for situations like that because even if they don’t come a lot, you have to take advantage of them.”
The Iowa bullpen stepped up and held the Wildcats to just two hits in the final seven innings. Chas Wheatley threw the final inning to earn the win.
Marcus Morgan got the start for Iowa, throwing 4 1/3 innings and allowing one run on three hits; he struck out eight Wildcat batters. Four other Hawkeye arms bridged Morgan and Wheatley. Ben DeTaeye threw 1 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits.
Ganon Archer, Jack Young and Aaron Savary combined to throw six innings, allowing two hits while striking out six.
Andy Nelson and Raider Tello each had two RBIs. Nelson was 3-for-5 and scored two runs, and Tello was 2-for-4. Michael Seegers collected two hits and Connor Hennings scored two runs.
Iowa outhit Northwestern 14-10 but left 16 runners stranded to Northwestern’s 15.
The Hawkeyes return to action with a three-game series at Illinois on May 10-12.