By Pete Ruden
With an extra innings win on Sunday, the Iowa baseball team narrowly avoided being swept for the first time this season in a series against Kansas State.After enduring back-to-back losses on March 17 and 18, the Hawkeyes bounced back to escape with a win of their own.
In the extra-inning 12-11 victory, first baseman Jake Adams had himself an amazing day. The DMACC transfer went 3-for-4 with 3 home runs and 7 RBIs.
The 3-homer performance made Adams the first Hawkeye since 2007 to accomplish the feat.
“Taking batting practice today, the wind was blowing out, and we knew if we could get the ball in the air that there would be some home runs,” Adams said in a release. “Fortunately, I ran into a couple balls today, and it all started from there. After I got my first one, I felt good and got the next two and it kept rolling from there.”
On March 17, Kansas State used just one inning to take the Hawkeyes down, 3-0. With Ryan Erickson filling in for Friday starter Nick Gallagher, the Wildcats went on a destructive two-out rally to down Iowa.
Back-to-back singles forced Iowa to send in relief for Erickson, and Nick Nelson got the call. As soon as Nelson started, Kansas State continued its roll.
Pinch hitter Trent McMaster brought in a run with a single to left field, right before Josh Rolette followed with an RBI single of his own.
Soon after, Iowa called Ben Norman in for relief of Nelson, and he walked in a run with the bases loaded.
Even though Iowa suffered its first shutout of the season, the club compiled 8 hits, as shortstop Mason McCoy (3-for-4) and second baseman Mitchell Boe (2-for-3) both had multi-hit games.
“I was happy with our energy level and the way we competed, but you can’t get shut out,” head coach Rick Heller said in a release. “We hit the ball hard. It was just one of those nights.”
The March 18 game was a lot closer; the Hawkeyes held a 4-2 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth. But they couldn’t hold the lead. Kansas State wound up defeating Iowa for the second-straight night with a 5-4 victory in extrainnings.
Right fielder Robert Neustrom had a solid night for Iowa, going 2-for-4 with an RBI, but his team’s offense could only knock 4 hits in the game.
After tying it in the final two innings, Kansas State’s Quintin Crandall unloaded on a pitch for a walk-off RBI triple.
After the Hawkeyes announced that Saturday starter C.J. Eldred would miss the rest of the season after an injury, Cole McDonald stepped in and delivered a quality performance.
The sophomore allowed just 1 run on 4 hits in five innings, but Heller thinks the pitching needs to be at a higher level overall.
“Overall, we have to pitch better. We thought that was going to be a strength of this ball club,” Heller said in a release. “They’re capable, and we have a lot of confidence in them; they just have to go out and get it done.”