Iowa softball did not have the weekend it had hoped for. Squaring off with now 15-20 Maryland, head coach Marla Looper’s squad dropped three of three games. Iowa’s first game showed Hawkeye grit, but it brought up concerns in the batter’s box.

Sophomore Allison Doocy pitched 11 innings for a complete game, giving up 8 eight hits and 2 walks in the extended game. Doocy also struck out 10 Terrapins.

Even with her strong performance in the circle, the Hawkeye bats behind her failed to tally runs. Maryland held Iowa to just 6 hits and 1 run in the first game one to walk away with a 2-1 victory.

“Doocy threw a heck of a ballgame,” Looper said in a release. “She scattered 8 hits. Only two of them were really playable balls. The last hit that scored the winning run was a little Texas leaguer, and you can’t defend that. The 2 runs they scored were unearned. We just needed to take care of the ball in those situations. Our challenge is to take advantage of opportunities.”

Iowa failed to take advantage of the opportunities in the following game in dropping a 5-2 decision.

Kenzie Ihle got the start in the circle for the Hawkeyes. The senior threw 3.2 innings but gave up 9 hits as Maryland put up 5 runs, only 3 of which were earned.

RELATED: Drake surges through quiet Iowa softball

Looper looked to her bullpen to finish the game, and Lauren Shaw answered by tossing 2.1 innings and allowing only 2 hits and 0 runs.

“Shaw does a nice job,” Looper said in a release. “It’s been a while since she’s been in the circle, and it was good to get her back out there. She did a nice job of settling in when she came in and gave us a chance to stay in the game.”

Hitters behind the two pitchers were sluggish. Iowa only put 2 runs up in the fourth inning, but Maryland responded with 3 of its own in the bottom half, and the score stayed at 5-2.

Iowa’s third game featured another stellar performance by Doocy. She scattered 5 hits, walked nobody, and struck out 6. One Terrapin home run in the fourth with two outs was all Maryland needed to topple the quiet Hawkeyes.

The Hawkeyes had 4 hits in the final game of the series but stranded four.

“Doocy did a nice job [Sunday],” Looper said. “She left one over the plate, and they got ahold of it, so you have to tip your hat. We just couldn’t get anything going offensively. We’re still struggling to make those adjustments.”

Iowa scored 3 runs in the three-game series — one of its worst offensive appearances of the year.