Iowa Sweeps Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The University of Iowa softball team secured the series sweep over Illinois, going 2-0 in Saturday’s doubleheader at Eichelberger Field, taking game one, 7-1, and game two, 2-0. The Hawkeyes improve to 18-8 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Game One 
Iowa routed Illinois, 7-1, in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader.

The Hawkeyes struck first in the opening frame. Devin Simon and Tory Bennett reached in consecutive at-bats, and with no outs, Kiara Sipe recorded her first career triple to give Iowa an early 2-0 lead.

Sipe added another two-run extra-base hit in the second inning to extend the Hawkeyes’ lead to four.

The score remained 4-0 until the fifth inning. Leah McAnally blasted an opposite-field solo home run before Echo Mattiello singled and later scored from first on a fielding error to make it a 6-0 game.

Illinois got on the board in the sixth with an RBI single, but Iowa answered in the seventh. With two on and two outs, Kiyah Chavez singled to left field to score the final run of the game.

Carly Brewer got the starting nod in the circle and recorded the first complete game of her collegiate career. The freshman tossed seven innings of one-run ball, allowing just one walk and striking out three. Brewer retired 21 of the 27 batters she faced.

Game Two 
The Hawkeyes completed the sweep with a 2-0 victory behind a strong outing from Braylen Conlon.

The left-hander tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out six over seven innings. Conlon held Illinois to a .130 batting average in the contest. The performance marked Iowa’s second shutout and first complete-game shutout of the season.

The game remained scoreless through five innings before Avery Jackson broke the tie with a solo home run to left field.

Sipe added an insurance run later in the inning with an RBI single for her 10th RBI of the weekend, pushing the Hawkeyes’ lead to 2-0.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH STACY MAY-JOHNSON
“It’s good to get a conference sweep on the road — you can’t get any better than that. Braylen and Carly were phenomenal, giving up only one run in 14 innings. Those two are very talented, and we know they’re going to be successful pitchers in this program for many years. The talent has always been there, and they’re going through the process of learning to compete at this level and be elite. Today, they were unstoppable. We’re ready to play a home game. It’s been a long road stretch, but it’ll be a big weekend for the Hawkeyes with Minnesota coming to town and women’s basketball hosting a tournament game.”

NOTABLES
-Kiara Sipe notched 10 RBIs on the weekend.
-The Hawkeyes recorded seven home runs in the series.
-Dating back to 2025, Iowa has won five of their last six Big Ten series’.
-Iowa pitching limited Illinois batters to a combined .263 average.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes return to action for their home opener March 20–22, hosting Minnesota for a three-game series at Bob Pearl Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on Friday, 1 p.m. CT on Saturday and noon CT on Sunday. All three games will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required).

Season tickets are available with reserved chairback seating for $55. General admission season tickets are $40 for adults and $15 for youth. Single-game tickets are $10 for adults and $3 for youth. Season tickets are available at hawkeyesports.com/tickets, by calling 1-800-IA-HAWKS or at the University of Iowa Athletics Ticket Office at the north entrance of Carver-Hawkeye Arena.