Ben Beutel joked last week at Nebraska saying “It’s Mazur day. We just need one (run)” and it turned out to be true as the Hawkeyes won 1-0 in Lincoln. This week Coach Rick Heller called Adam Mazur a “reporters dream”, as his last two games pitched have been completed in under 2.5 hours.

That about sums up the last month on the mound for Mazur, as he has been a sight to see and today was no different. The redshirt sophomore quieted the Purdue bats for 8+ innings en route a 5-2 victory in favor of the Hawkeyes on Friday afternoon.

“I know what I can do when I’m at my best,” said Mazur. “Just feeling really good. I have a great defense behind me. They showed that again today. Just pitching into the zone and letting them hit it because I know I’ve got help behind me.”

Will Mulfur displayed the exact defense Mazur was talking about with this highlight catch in RF in the sixth inning.

It’s bordering on the absurd, what Adam has been able to do over his last four starts, as he has now allowed just four earned runs over his last 33.2 innings, including 30 strikeouts and just three walks. Today, Mazur had four innings where he threw less than ten pitches and got through 8.0 innings on just 80 pitches. The Boilermakers were aggressive at the plate, but weak contact and balls hit right at fielders made for quick work.

Is this the Adam Mazur that Coach Rick Heller envisioned when he recruited him early last summer?

“Yeah…Yeah it really is,” said Heller as he laughed. As Mazur shoots up draft boards across the country, it looks more and more like a giant steal in transfer portal for this coaching staff, as pitchers targeted for the top rounds in the MLB Draft usually head to the south for their college baseball careers.

At the plate, the Iowa bats showed the discipline and fight that had been lacking over the past few games, which allowed them to get the runs they needed to pick up the victory. It was a big third inning that propelled the Hawkeyes today, as all five runs came in the inning off of Purdue starter CJ Backer.

Three straight hits from Michael Seegers, Peyton Williams and Keaton Anthony got Iowa on the board 1-0, while Izaya Fullard added an RBI single to make it 2-0. After an RBI from Brendan Sher extended the lead, Ben Wilmes came through with a two-run single to push the lead to 5-0 in the Hawkeyes favor.

“(The approach) was a lot better. We executed well, for the most part, all day long,” said Coach Heller. “The inning we scored, we won a couple 0-2 counts where we ended up getting on base. We won a couple 3-2’s and Ben Wilmes really gave us a spark today. Big two RBI single.”

On the day, Iowa collected ten hits and two walks, while striking out just six times. A stark difference from their 12 strikeouts and four hits against Illinois State on Tuesday. Izaya Fullard and Michael Seegers combined for five hits on the day.

“We know that up and down our lineup, one through nine, everyone can contribute. Not everyone is going to be hitting home runs and doubles like Peyton and Keaton, but we know what kind of group we are, and we know we have to drive the pitchers pitch count up,” said Fullard. “Find different ways to get on base and I think that showed today. The whole lineup was really tough outs on the pitcher.”

Iowa carried a 5-0 lead into the ninth inning and Mazur went out looking for back-to-back complete game shutouts, but the Boilermakers were able to scratch a couple runs across. A two out, two-run single from Troy Viola cut the lead to 5-2 and unfortunately knocked Mazur out of the game.

“I kind of figured it was coming when that single went through. I wanted a shot, but I understand it was what was best for the team,” said Mazur. “Just happy the team got the win.”

Ben Beutel came on in relief and struck out pinch-hitter Tyler Powers to end the game and give the Hawkeyes the series opening victory.

With the win, the Hawkeyes move to 27-15 on the season and 11-5 in Big Ten play. Iowa moves up just a couple of spots in the RPI to #74, but a sweep of the Boilermakers this weekend could push them into the mid-60s. Tomorrow, Connor Schultz will be on the mound, as he looks to bounce back from a rough outing in Lincoln, while it will be Wyatt Wendall for Purdue. First pitch is set for 11:02am and it will be televised on the Big Ten Network.