Hawkeyes Drop Game 3 in Tampa

TAMPA, Florida -- The University of Iowa baseball team fell to South Florida, 9-5, to close the series at USF Baseball Stadium on Sunday afternoon. 

Several Hawkeyes took the mound on Sunday. Redshirt senior Reece Beuter started the game for the Hawkeyes, giving up five hits and two earned runs while striking out three Bulls in four innings of work. Left-hander Bryson Walker came in to pitch in the fifth inning, giving up two runs on three hits. He had one strikeout.

Fifth-year Brant Hogue came in next, yielding three runs on one hit. He got one out in the sixth inning before Chas Wheatley replaced him and recorded the final two outs of the frame.

"Chas Wheatley came in and did exactly what we wanted him to do -- bases loaded double play ball -- and we kick it and turn it into three runs," Iowa head coach Rick Heller said. "Just a disappointing way to end the trip after a good day yesterday."

 Fifth-year Ben DeTaeye started on the mound in the seventh and gave up two runs on four hits. With two down in the seventh, graduate Daniel Wright came in and pitched an inning, striking out two of the five batters he faced. Senior Sam Hart was the final Hawkeye out of the bullpen, walking a batter and then forcing a groundout to escape a bases loaded jam. 

"Things fell apart for us when we went to the bullpen," Heller said. "We had a 4-2 lead going into the sixth and felt pretty good about things with all the fresh guys we had."

After a solo home run by South Florida in the first, junior Gable Mitchell gave the Hawkeyes the lead in the third inning with a 2 RBI single to right field. The Bulls then tied it at two in the bottom half of the inning with another long ball. 

In the top of the fifth, Missouri transfer Jackson Beaman knocked a 2 RBI single up the middle to put Iowa ahead, 4-2.

Down, 7-4, transfer Daniel Rogers hit his second home run as a Hawkeye, but that was it for the Iowa offense.

"We missed some oppurtunties in the first five, six innings to maybe blow it out. Some guys had some good days, but we also had a couple guys who kept coming up and really struggled with runners in scoring position. It's just disappointing that we didn't get more."

Mitchell led the Iowa offense, going 4-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs and a stolen base. 

Iowa finished the game with 11 hits and committed four errors. South Florida finished the day with 13 hits and committed two errors. 

"Our bullpen was bad. We had defensive errors," Heller said. "We just have to be better."

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes will head to DeLand, Florida, next weekend for the Stetson Tournament, where they will face Notre Dame, Stetson and UMBC.