Hawkeyes Sweep Nittany Lions

IOWA CITY, Iowa - The University of Iowa softball team swept Penn State in a double header on Monday afternoon at Bob Pearl Field. Iowa took game one in run-rule fashion, 10-2, in six innings before winning in game two, 3-1. This is the Hawkeyes third Big Ten series sweep of the season. 

Freshman Talia Tretton (8-8) got the start in game one and threw her seventh complete game of the year. She gave up one earned run and fanned seven over 6.0 innings of work. After surrendering five hits through the first two innings, Tretton retired the final 10 Nittany Lion hitters of the game. Sophomore Soo-Jin Berry went 2-for-3 with an RBI. The Hawkeyes took advantage of 15 free passes from the Penn State pitchers with 12 walks and three hit-by-pitches in the game. 

Junior Jalen Adams (20-5) started game two for the Hawkeyes. Her 20 wins is the most for a Hawkeye pitcher since 2009, when Brittany Weil won 26 games. Adams threw her 15th complete game of the season allowing one run on four hits and struck out two. Sophomore Jena Young highlighted the offense with a three-run home run.

Junior Avery Jackson, senior Hannah Lindsay and Young all recorded a home run on the day. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Game One

The Nittany Lions got on the board in the opening frame taking the lead, 2-0. The first run came home on an RBI single and the second run was plated after an errant throw from the Hawkeye catcher went into center field. Iowa threatened in the first and second inning, getting two runners on in each frame, but were unable to get on the board.

Tretton retired six straight Nittany Lions hitters in the third and fourth innings picking up five strikeouts. In the bottom of the fourth, the Hawkeye bats came alive with back-to-back home runs from Jackson and Lindsay to tie the game at two. Iowa continued to threaten, loading the bases with one out in the inning. The Hawkeyes took the lead, 4-2, after free passes to junior Tory Bennett and Berry. Tretton helped herself out with a sacrifice fly to push the lead to three, 5-2.

Tretton picked up another one, two, three inning in the fifth. The Hawkeyes took advantage of a couple of Nittany Lion errors in the bottom of the inning bringing home a run to make it, 6-2, after six innings of play. Tretton continued to roll in the circle, retiring 10 straight Penn State hitters. Iowa loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, and brought home three runs on walks to Jaylee Ojo, Young, and Allyssa Ramos, 9-2. Desiree Rivera secured the run-rule win for Iowa with a single to center field to score the 10th run of the game. 

Iowa finished the game with 10 runs on eight hits and one error. Penn State had two runs on five hits and had two errors. 

Game Two 
Adams allowed a leadoff single the start the game, but went on to retire the next three Penn State hitters. Iowa loaded the bases with two outs in the home half of the first but were unable to get on the board. 

Iowa opened the scoring in the second inning as Young picked up her 50th hit of the season with a three-run home run to left center to give the Hawkeyes the lead. Adams was cruising in the circle as she retired eight straight Nittany Lion hitters before surrendering a one-out single in the fifth. That runner came around to score on an RBI ground out to get Penn State on the board, 3-1.

Iowa loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth as they were unable to add insurance. Adams closed the game by retiring the final seven Penn State hitters that she faced.

Iowa finished with three runs on four hits and Penn State had one run one four hits. 

 

HEAR FROM ACTING HEAD COACH KARL GOLLAN

""Sweeps are hard to get so it's always a positive when you can do enough things right to have the opportunity to close three games. They pitched us well so it was imperative our pitching and defense executed until we could find a way to put something together. We always look at the things we can do to improve but creating opportunities to win is also important and we did that as a team so it's something to feel good about."

NOTABLES

• Game one of the double header was Iowa's seventh run-rule victory of the season.
• Young has surpassed 50 hits in each of her first two seasons.
• Young's five triples this season is tied for eighth in single season history at Iowa.
• The Hawkeyes have taken eight of the last 10 matchups against Penn State.
• First time since 2021 that the Hawkeyes have swept multiple three-game Big Ten series in a season.
• Jackson has reached base in the last 11 games.

UP NEXT
Iowa (28-16, 10-6) returns home on Wednesday to host in-state rival Drake at Bob Pearl Field. First pitched is scheduled for 5 pm CT and will be streamed on B1G+ ($). Tickets are available for $7 for adults, and youth 18 and under are free. More ticketing information can be found on Hawkeyesports.com.