The Iowa baseball team beat Penn State on May 19, 3-2, to raise the likelihood of its making the Big Ten Tournament even more.
“That was a big one,” head coach Rick Heller said in a release. “It was a great baseball game. Penn State played hard; it was a battle. We were fortunate enough to win it.”
Coming into the final weekend series, the Hawkeyes needed to win two of three games against the Nittany Lions and root for a split series between Michigan and Illinois. If Illinois sweeps Michigan, the Hawkeyes will be eliminated from contention.
But with the Illini’s Thursday night loss to the Wolverines, things become very simple for the Hawkeyes — win one game in the May 20 double-header against Penn State, and they can pack their bags for a trip to Omaha for their third-consecutive appearance in the Big Ten Tournament.
Iowa got all 3 of its runs in the second inning, taking advantage of a Penn State team that ranks last in the Big Ten in team fielding percentage.
Five different Hawkeyes reached base in the inning, and only one ball left the infield.
Junior Mason McCoy reached on an error to start the surge. Freshman Robert Neustrom then hit an infield single, followed by walks to seniors Eric Schenck-Joblinske and John Barrett to plate the first run.
Freshman Zach Daniels hit into an RBI fielder’s choice, and senior leadoff man Tyler Peyton added a two-out RBI single for insurance.
Sophomore C.J. Eldred was good on the mound for Iowa, giving head coach Rick Heller four innings of work before handing the ball to sophomore Nick Gallagher, who went another 3.2 innings, picking up the win.
Daniels earned a four-out save.
Although the Hawkeyes did not have a single earned run on May 19, they have earned the right to be in a position to clinch a spot in the conference tournament with a win on May 20.
After losing two of three games at Ohio State from May 6-8, the chances the Hawkeyes would make the Big Ten Tournament looked slim.
But after taking the final two games of a series versus Michigan State and the first game against Penn State, here they are on the doorstep of Omaha.
It will just take one more win.
— by Blake Dowson