Hawks fall on Senior Day
Disappointing.
Sums up yesterday, sums up today, and it sums up the whole weekend for the Iowa Baseball team.
On a day where 13 seniors were recognized before the game, in front of 1100 fans, the Illinois Fighting Illini looked like the NCAA Tournament hopeful team, not Iowa.
Coach Heller summed it up well after the loss, “They out-pitched us and they out-hit us…We were not sharp offensively.”
Riley Gowens was on the mound for Illinois and for the second straight day, the Illini got a quality start from their pitcher. Gowens would go five innings, allowing just two runs, both coming in the third inning. Outside of the third inning? Gowens retired 12 of 14 batters, while striking out nine on the day.
On the other side, Cam Baumann, who has been so good on the mound for Iowa this season, allowed 11 hits in just 4.1 innings of work.
The Illini got on the board in the top of the second inning, on an RBI double from Nathan Aide. They extended their lead in the third inning, when a Justin Janas single scored Jackson Raper, to make it 2-0.
The Hawkeyes fought back in the bottom of the inning with help from an error by Riley Gowens to start the inning. Izaya Fullard would deliver a two-run single to score Trenton Wallace and Dylan Nedved, to tie the game at 2. A little later, a Zeb Adreon fly ball died at the fence, just a few feet short of a grand slam. From then on, Iowa could not get anything going with the bats.
Justin Janas led off the fifth inning, with a single, in route to a five hit day and Ryan Hampe would follow up with a two-run home run, to put the Illini up 4-2. Drew Irvine came in to relieve Baumann, but back-to-back hits and a walk loaded the bases for Taylor Jackson. The crowd tried to help out Irvine, but Jackson delivered with a two-run single to put Illinois up 6-2.
Illinois brought in three pitchers in relief of Riley Gowens and despite the struggling numbers put up by the bullpen, they allowed just three Hawkeye baserunners over the last four innings. Cole Kirschsieper closed out the game out with a strikeout of Brayden Frazier, which gave Illinois the 6-2 win and series win.
“It hurts obviously, they came out and beat us today, fair and square…Looking forward we just have to keep taking care of business,” said Trenton Wallace following the loss.
What does this all mean for postseason chances? It is not good. A late season series loss to now 18-19 Illinois is something that can drop you on the wrong side of the bubble and to make things worse Maryland took care of business sweeping Purdue. You wonder if the players felt the pressure, after Illinois took game two and the importance of today’s game loomed. “They know what’s going on, they read…It’s a challenge. It’s a mental game to not let yourself start to press…I felt a little press in about the sixth and seventh inning today, just because it wasn’t happening,” said Coach Heller.
The Hawkeyes will likely have to win their last six games vs Northwestern and Michigan State, while hoping Maryland and other bubble teams around the country falter.
What started as an upbeat weekend, with the Hawkeyes safely in the tournament and Senior Day festivities set for Sunday, ended with a series loss and plummeting postseason hopes. The Hawkeyes take on a depleted Northwestern squad next week and will look to flush this weekend, with their backs against the wall tournament wise.
Notes
- Ben Norman had his 25 game on-base streak snapped
- Izaya Fullard extended his on-base streak to 21 games
- Iowa struck out 37 times over the three-game series
- Illinois out hit Iowa 27-8 over the last two games of the weekend