Olympic Spotlight: Softball Wins Championship

It was a relatively quiet week for Iowa Olympic sports last week, with the action limited to the Hawkeye baseball and softball diamonds. Iowa baseball wrapped its regular season with a series win over Northwestern to position themselves well for the postseason, while Iowa softball won the inaugural NISC Tournament to end their season on a high note.

No spotlight this week with only the two sports, so let's jump right in.

Iowa softball was selected to compete in the inaugural National Invitational Softball Championship last week and made the most of that opportunity, going 4-0 and winning the tournament.

The Hawks kicked off their weekend with a 6-3 win over UC Davis. Grace Banes was the star at the plate, driving in three runs and notching a pair of hits, including a home run as part of a three-run Hawkeye 2nd inning. The Aggies rallied back, scoring two in the 4th, but the Hawks again pulled away, answering with a pair of runs in the 5th, extending their lead to 5-2. The teams traded runs in the 6th, before Iowa finished a 6-3 win.

Iowa's second opponent was South Dakota State and the Hawkeyes came away with another 6-3 win. The Hawks put together a pair of three-run innings to start the game and that proved more than enough for the Iowa pitching staff. Denali Loecker, Grace Banes, and Sammy Diaz all drove in runs in the 1st and the bottom of the lineup came through to power the Hawkeys to three more in the 2nd. Jalen Adams put together another strong start, pitching 6.1 innings, including five shutout innings to start the game.

Iowa's two wins sent them to the semifinals for a rematch against conference foe Maryland. The Hawks and Terps played another tight game with Iowa ultimately coming away with a 4-3 win. The Hawks took a 1-0 lead in the 4th thanks to a Denali Loecker home run and added three more in the 5th, jump-started by Loecker's two-RBI single. Maryland put together a 7th-inning rally, scoring three in the inning on the back of two Hawkeye errors, but Loecker closed the door on the mound, striking out the Maryland hitters to seal the 4-3 win.

The Hawkeyes' semifinal win earned them a spot in the NISC championship, where they faced BYU. The championship game was a thrilling, back-and-forth affair but Iowa came out on top 9-7.

The Hawks and Cougars traded runs in the 2nd before Iowa took the lead with Brylee Klosterman's two-run home run in the 4th. The Hawks got one more in the 5th when Grace Banes hit her 2nd home run of the day, but the Cougars answered with a three-run shot of their own, tying the game at four after five innings.

BYU threw a haymaker in the bottom of the 6th, scoring three more runs and taking a 7-4 lead into the final inning. Iowa was down to their final out but refused to go quietly. Instead, the Hawks got the rally started with a Diaz walk and a Klosterman single.

Tristin Doster's RBI double pulled the Hawkeyes within one and Anna Streff drove in the tying run with an RBI triple. Just for good measure, the Hawks added two more runs as insurance before Jalen Adams came in to shut the door and earn the save and the championship for the Hawkeyes.

Iowa's exciting comeback was the perfect finish for what's been a very successful softball season for the Hawkeyes. From Nia Carter's record-setting year at the plate (she finished the season as one of only two hitters in Big Ten history with 100 hits in a season) to the team's postseason trophy, there was a drastically different vibe around the group than in years past.

The NISC is not the NCCA tournament, but these postseason competitions can still have a ton of value for the teams that take part. It's extra practice, more game experience, and the opportunity to end the season with a victory. It's the kind of positive event that can be a momentum builder that carries all the way into next season.

Banes, Loecker, Carter, and Adams all earned All-Tournament honors for their efforts in helping Iowa hoist the championship trophy.

Already, several Hawkeye players were talking about achieving an NCAA berth as the next goal. For a group that just wanted to qualify for their conference tournament this year, it's an encouraging sign of things to come. Congrats to head coach Renee Gillispie and the Iowa softball team on a successful season and a great ending.

The Hawkeyes took two of three from Northwestern over the weekend, finishing their regular season with a 39-13 record and securing the #3 seed in this week's Big Ten Tournament. The Hawks dominated in game one, winning 15-3, fell 6-4 in game two, and then bounced back with a convincing 10-0 win to take the series.

Iowa wasted no time in Thursday's series-opening win, putting up a ten-spot over the first four innings. Brayden Frazier drove in three runs, while Raider Tello and Michael Seegers each scored three runs of their own.

Marcus Morgan put together another impressive performance on the mound, pitching four shutout innings, while the bullpen arms of Cade Obermueller, Nick Gottilla, and Jack Young held the Wildcats to just one hit. Just for good measure, the Hawkeyes put up a five-run 7th inning before Northwestern was finally able to plate a few runs in the bottom of the 7th.

Friday's game provided a disappointing loss for the Hawks, who had chances, but ultimately couldn't find the clutch hits they needed and fell 6-4. Northwestern scored a run in each of the first three innings and while Iowa threatened, notching ten hits in the game, they weren't able to come up with the crooked-number inning like they have so often this year. The Hawks tied the game at three in the 6th before Northwestern answered with two of their own in the bottom of the inning and when the Hawks got within one in the 8th, the Wildcats again scored to keep the two-run lead.

Sunday's season finale was an important game for the Hawkeyes and they answered the bell in a big way, shutting out Northwestern. Brody Brecht pitched a gem on the mound, tossing six innings while allowing just one hit and one walk. Brecht retired 17 in a row after a leadoff hit and struck out nine batters on the day. You can read an in-depth recap of Brecht's start, which earned him Big Ten Player of the Week honors, here.

The Wildcat pitching staff put together a good start of their own, holding the Hawkeyes to zero runs through five innings, but Iowa finally broke through with a three-run 6th inning. The 3-0 lead was stable but not comfortable -- at least until the Hawkeyes decided to blow the game open with a seven-run 8th inning, removing any doubt in the outcome. Brennen Dorighi was 2-3 with a two-run homer on the day, Frazier was 3-4 with two doubles and both Michael Seegers and Tello drove in two runs apiece.

The Hawkeyes are on a good roll entering the postseason. There were a few losses they'd like to have back, but in a sport as fickle as baseball, the past month or so has been close to the best case scenario.

Brecht and Morgan looked great on the mound this past weekend, with Brecht looking much closer to his extraordinary early-season form. Few opposing teams will want to be staring down Brody Brecht with their season on the line over the next few weeks. At the plate, it continues to be a group effort for the Hawkeyes, who have shown a knack for creating big innings throughout the season. Not unlike a basketball team that goes on a 10-0 run in a two-minute span, this group can strike quickly and decide a game in just a few moments.

Iowa will be the #3 seed in this week's Big Ten Tournament, which begins on Tuesday (10 AM CT, BTN) when the Hawkeyes will take on Michigan. You can check out a full preview of the Big Ten Tournament here.