Hawkeyes cruise in season opener
For the first three innings of the game, it looked like the preseason All-American Paul Skenes was going to have a day for Air Force. Skenes kept the Hawkeyes scoreless and had seven strikeouts on the mound, while his first inning solo home run gave the Falcons an early 1-0 lead.
But the game is nine innings for a reason.
Andy Nelson got things started for the Hawkeyes in the top of the fourth with a one out double. Then with runners on the corners, Kyle Huckstorf hit a soft one in front of the plate, which allowed Nelson to race home and tie the game at one.
Later in the inning, with the Hawkeyes up 2-1, Michael Seegers knocked Skenes out of the game with an RBI double. Peyton Williams added an RBI single off of reliever Stevan Fairburn Jr and when it was all said and done, Iowa led 4-1.
That was all Iowa starter Adam Mazur needed. He was dialed in.
The South Dakota State transfer showed that the excitement for his Friday starting role was justified, going 6.0 innings for the Hawkeyes, while striking out nine and retiring 18 of the 19 batters he faced.
“That’s kind of what I was working for, coming into the season, to go out and earn that spot,” said Mazur during media day and he made a convincing argument this afternoon.
“Adam did what we needed him to do,” said Coach Rick Heller. “He went out and was dominant. He pounded the strike zone and was ahead in the count the whole game.”
The veteran Cam Baumann followed Mazur and he went two solid innings, striking out five Falcon batters and walking just one.
Coming into the game, we knew that the Air Force bullpen was a little rough and Iowa took advantage of them to extend their lead. In the top of the sixth, Anthony Mangano’s pitch-hit RBI double made it 5-1, while a wild pitch scored Ty Snep, making it 6-1. Brayden Frazier made it an 8-1 game with a two-run single and Iowa was well on their way to a win.
The Hawkeyes added to their lead in the top of the ninth via the longball. Freshman Sam Petersen and Peyton Williams both hit two-run home runs out to the short fence in right field to push the lead to 12-1.
Ben DeTaeye struggled, walking three in the bottom of the ninth and Jacob Henderson hit a batter to give the Falcons a late run, but Iowa came away with the 12-2 season opening victory.
“It was battle, our guys worked counts and lost some with strikeouts, but we got Skenes out of the game early,” said Heller. “We also had some timely, clutch hits. We’ll take 12 runs on Opening Day when you face a Golden Spikes candidate.”
In the leadoff role, Michael Seegers picked up three hits and a walk to lead the way. Peyton Williams racked up four hits, a walk and a home run in the #2 spot, while Ty Snep reached base three times in the #3 spot.
Andy Nelson had two hits, while Sam Petersen hit his first career home run. Altogether, the Hawkeyes were a combined 15/41 (.365) with eight walks.
Rick Heller’s squad is back in action tomorrow morning at Shipyard Park against the Ball State Cardinals. Butler transfer Connor Schultz will take the mound for Iowa, while Ball State is set to start Tyler Schweitzer. The game is at 9am and will be streamed on HiCast Sports Network.
Notes
- Air Force managed just one hit against four Iowa pitchers
- The top three in the batting order were a combined 8/13 with four walks and five runs scored
- 15 hits are the most in an Iowa season opener since 2010 vs Illinois State (17 hits)
- Due to Covid, the Hawkeyes picked up their first win vs a non-conference opponent since March 11, 2020, vs Kansas. Nearly two years apart.