By adam hensley | [email protected]

UNVL (10-20) entered this past weekend’s series with Iowa (17-9) at Banks Field suffering through an eight-game losing streak.

That didn’t stop the Rebels from giving the Hawkeyes all they could handle in three close contests.

The Hawkeyes took all three games, 3-0, 6-5, and 7-6.

The April 1 double-header provided fans with a comeback win in the eighth inning and a walk-off winner in the ninth.“Those were remarkable comebacks,” head coach Rick Heller said. “Lesser teams don’t do that. I’m really proud of our effort. Late in the game, we didn’t give up, we fought [and] found a way to get it done, bottom line. That’s what good teams do.”

Down 5-3 with two outs and no one on base for the Hawkeyes in the bottom of the ninth inning in the first game, their chances didn’t look too great.

Austin Guzzo reached first on a walk, giving Iowa something to work with, and Luke Farley singled on an 0-2 count to put two runners on base.

Then Mitchell Boe came to the plate.

Boe connected for a 2-run double down the right field line to tie the ball game at 5. He scored the game-winning run, too, on a Chris Whelan single.

In Iowa’s 7-6 Game 2 victory, Boe reinforced his clutch reputation after he tied the game in the eighth on another double.

“I’ve been hitting the ball hard all year, so it’s nice to see some of them fall,” he said.

His magic in the eighth, combined with a Mason McCoy hit that split a gap in the outfield, only added to Iowa’s wild eighth-inning heroics this season.

Iowa also came up with 2 runs in the eighth during its 3-0 win on March 31. Pitcher Nick Gallagher smothered the Rebels’ hitters for 7 innings, with UNLV mustering only 2 hits.

“I thought Nick pitched extremely well,” Heller said. “He was in control. He struggled occasionally with his command on his changeup but was able to live through it. [He] worked quickly.”

More impressively, Gallagher did not allow a walk and retired 15-straight Rebels to keep their offensive attack under control.

“[When you] work fast and attack their hitters, usually good things happen,” he said.

Gallagher said he felt 100 percent after throwing 90-plus pitches in his seven innings.

Previously, he pitched only five innings in the win against Purdue on March 24. Although these wins won’t count as conference wins this season, there are plenty of takeaways for the Hawkeyes.

The timely hits, solid pitching, and resiliency are just what Heller looks for in his team.

“That’s the positive we take [away],” Heller said. “We didn’t play our best baseball, and we still found a way to win.”

Up next for the Hawkeyes is South Dakota State.

The Jackrabbits head to Banks Field for a two-game series, with the first scheduled for 4:05 p.m. Tuesday and the second game for 3:05 p.m. Wednesday. Both games will be available on BTN Plus.