By Jess Westendorf
[email protected]Tuesday night, the Iowa softball team (18-29) shut out Drake (25-26), 2-0, to win its sixth-straight midweek game and record another victory over an in-state rival.
Iowa is now 3-1 against in-state teams this season, having defeated Iowa State, Drake, and Northern Iowa.
“We do take these in-state rivalries seriously,” head coach Marla Looper said in a release. “They mean a lot to us and everyone in the state. That’s why we have to go out there with our best lineup on the field.”
Redshirt senior Shayla Starkenburg took the mound and threw a complete game, shutting down the Bulldogs with a solid defense behind her.
Starkenburg, who moved to 8-11, only allowed 7 hits in seven innings while striking out 7 and walking 2.
“Shayla threw a nice game tonight,” Looper said in a release. “She wasn’t real sharp early, but she gave us ground balls we could play defense behind, got key strikeouts, and kept plugging away.”
Aryka Knoche was on the mound for the Bulldogs. She suffered the loss , allowing 2 runs and 7 hits during her three innings on the mound.
Iowa got on the board first when redshirt freshman Brooke Rozier hit a solo home run to center in the top of the second inning. The Jefferson City, Missouri, native now has 4 homers.
The Hawkeyes added the final run in the top of the third. Freshman Lea Thompson led off the inning with a walk, and senior Kaitlyn Mullarkey followed with a single, putting Thompson on third.
Junior Allie Wood then hit a sacrifice fly to center to bring Thompson in and give Iowa a 2-0 advantage.
The Bulldogs tried to make a comeback during the bottom of the third, fourth, and fifth innings, but Starkenburg had her arm and a strong Hawkeye defense to stop the Bulldogs.
Rozier and junior Angela Schmiederer took control at the plate to lead the Hawkeyes.
Rozier was 2-for-3 with a single and a home run, and Schmiederer went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles.
Junior Cheyenne Pratt and Mullarkey registered singles, and freshman McKenzie Schneider hit a double.
This was the Hawkeyes’ last small break from conference opponents before heading back to Pearl Field to take on Northwestern in an attempt to secure a spot in the Big Ten Tournament. Iowa will open the three-game series at 6 p.m. Friday.
“We get the opportunity to do something this weekend to set us up for a good spot in the Big Ten Tournament,” Looper said in a release. “We just have to get out there and go play. Friday night is our Pink Game, our Alumni Day is Saturday, and then we will celebrate our seniors on Sunday. It would be nice to have a good weekend of softball to go along with those activities.”