Above-freezing temperatures on Tuesday helped erase the almost 7 inches of snow that had landed Pearl Field, making the field game-ready when Iowa swept its doubleheader against Wisconsin-Green Bay.
In the first game, Iowa took the win, 9-1, after a walk-off run-rule triple by shortstop Aralee Bogar in the sixth inning. Starting pitcher Kenzie Ihle allowed only 1 run on 8 hits to record her second win for the Hawkeyes.
“My goal was just to get ahead of batters and then just rely on my defense to make plays,” Ihle said. “I throw inside, outside, and mix in a change up, and I think Angela [Schmiederer] did a good job calling the change up when I needed to mix in that pitch.”
The second game didn’t come so easily as the first.
Iowa erased an early 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the first inning to continue its offensive groove from the first game.
Pitcher Erin Riding, who started the game, was pulled after only one batter in the second. Sophomore Allison Doocy, arguably one of the Hawkeyes’ best pitchers in the early season, replaced her. Doocy recorded thre-straight outs to strand the leadoff hitter.
“Doocy coming in relief, we don’t usually have her in that position, but she’s got to practice that, and that was a good opportunity to,” head coach Marla Looper said. “I was hoping not to need to practice that, but she did a nice job coming in to just attack the hitters, and yeah, in Doocy fashion, she just pounded the zone.”
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To lead off the Iowa half of the second inning, Bogar reached on an error by the second baseman. She stole second base on the next pitch, and two groundouts later was around to score, giving the Hawkeyes a 3-2 lead. First baseman Mallory Kilian was up with two outs and roped a single past third base but was thrown out at second base for Iowa’s second base-running out of the game.
Neither team scored in the third and fourth innings, and Green Bay put up a zero in its top of the fifth inning.
Three free bases and 1 walk later, Iowa threatened again in the bottom of the fifth. A hard-hit groundball to the shortstop by right fielder Schmiederer induced a 6-4-3 inning ending double play.
The sixth and seventh innings went by quickly, and Iowa emerged with a 3-2 win.
Doocy took the win, allowing only 2 hits in 6 innings of work. She racked up 11 strikeouts with no walks.
Tonight, Iowa will welcome Drake to Pearl Field for a second midweek matchup. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m.
The Bulldogs are 21-8 on the season, with the last regular-season matchup against the Hawkeyes coming on April 2, 2017. Iowa took down Drake, 2-0.