After getting its first Big Ten win last week, and playing arguably its best game of the season, the Iowa softball team could not continue that momentum in Nebraska.
The Hawks dropped two in a double-header against the Cornhuskers Wednesday evening.
Iowa lost the first game, 6-5, on a walk-off single, and fell, 3-1, in the second game. The Hawkeyes are now 9-23, 1-7 in conference play.
“We had a lot of runners on and a lot of chances,” Iowa head coach Marla Looper said in a release. “It’s frustrating. We just needed a little bit of luck and that key hit, and it could have been a different story tonight.”
Iowa scored in the first inning when Holly Hoffman put the Hawks on top with an RBI single through the right side of the infield. Nebraska came pushing back in the bottom of the inning, sending three runners home on three hits. The Huskers didn’t stop there as they tacked on another run in the bottom of the second because of an Iowa error and two singles.
Iowa was down by 3 in the top of the seventh but came fighting back to be down by 1. Sophomore Angela Schmiederer sent a 2-run double down the right-field line to put the Hawks back in the contest. Nebraska then changed pitchers, and sophomore Allie Wood tied the game at 5 in the top of the seventh.
Nebraska secured the win in the bottom of the seventh with a leadoff walk.
Following the first game, Nebraska got back on top in the second in the first inning, plating a run on a solo homer. The contest went on with two-straight scoreless innings, but Nebraska added to its lead in the bottom of the fourth and the bottom of the fifth.
Iowa finally got things going in the top of the sixth by loading the bases. Schmiederer got an RBI single to put the Hawks down by just 2.
The Hawkeyes had another opportunity with the bases loaded and one out but couldn’t bring more runners home. Iowa left eight on base in the second game.