Hawkeyes fall to Red Raiders

The Iowa Baseball team fell to #17 ranked Texas Tech by a final score of 11-3, but the Red Raiders were helped with free bases from the Hawkeyes, on the mound and with the gloves. Five of the seven walks issued by Iowa pitchers crossed the plate in the form of runs, while a pair of errors helped Tech score runs as well.

“You’re not going to win a lot of games doing that,” said Heller. “That’s the disappointing part because I feel like we’re capable. Right now, it’s just not happening on a consistent basis.”

The game started out on the wrong foot, with Easton Murrell taking Adam Mazur deep in the first at-bat of the game. Tech loaded the bases in the third inning with a walk, single and an intentional walk of All-American Jace Jung and Iowa got what they wanted next at-bat. Ty Coleman rolled a groundball to Brendan Sher at 3B, but an errant throw home allowed two runs to score, instead of keeping the Red Raiders off the board.

A two-out triple from Dillon Carter in the fourth got Tech in position and a wild pitch brought him in to make it 4-0. Murrell drew a walk and Cole Stillwell made Mazur pay with a two-run home run to push the lead to 6-0.

On the day, Adam Mazur went just 4.0 innings, allowing four earned runs on four hits, while walking four. The Hawkeyes battled at the plate all day against Brandon Birdsell, and scratched a run across in the fourth inning, on an RBI single from Ty Snep.

Then in the fifth, an RBI groundout from Peyton Williams pushed a run across to make it 6-2. Birdsell threw 87 pitches in 5.0 innings, allowing one earned run on five hits, while striking out nine and walking two.

“Against arms like that, the fact that we are getting on against those guys. We’re scrapping for runs, we’re getting hits here and there, that’s how you’ve got to win,” said Heller. “Can’t consistently strand ten baserunners either.”

In the sixth, Peyton Williams dropped pop fly gave Texas Tech a leadoff runner on base, while a sacrifice fly from Cole Stillwell extended the lead to 7-2. Three walks from the Iowa bullpen in the eighth set the table for RBI hits from Hudson White and Ty Coleman. That blew the lead open to 11-2.

Jared Simpson finished the last 1.1 innings of the game and struck out three, while the offense scratched across another run, but it ultimately ended with Iowa losing 11-3. Michael Seegers and Peyton Williams each reached base three times, while nine of 15 total Iowa batters reached base in the game.

The Red Raiders were able to hold the Hawkeyes to just three runs on 13 baserunners and that is what good pitching staffs do.

At the end of the day, the Hawkeyes fall to 8-8 on the season after starting 4-0 and it isn’t the losses that frustrate Coach Heller, it is the way they are happening.

“It’s disappointing because of how we lost the majority of those eight games. I feel like traditionally we’re a team that you have to beat,” said Heller. “In a lot of those eight losses, we just made it really easy for them…You’re going to lose some games and you’re going to get beat from time to time, but making the opponent beat you is the name of the game. We haven’t done a very good job of that this year.”

The start this season is a bit like last year, where the Hawkeyes were not playing their best baseball and got off to a slow start. Last season, a 4-7 start rebounded to a 26-18 finish. How this season finishes is still to be determined.

“They need to step up,” said Heller speaking of his veteran leaders. “Unfortunately, for us a lot of the veteran leaders are the ones who are struggling and sometimes that’s tough…Our mental toughness needs to be better, our intensity needs to be better. Hopefully, those guys will help make that happen.”

Iowa finishes up a short two-game series with the #17 Red Raiders tomorrow at Duane Banks Field. Ty Langenberg will get the start for the Hawkeyes, while it will be Mason Molina for Texas Tech. The game is at 1:05pm and will be streamed on BTN+.