Iowa baseball drops Game 2 to Michigan State

The Hawkeye pitching staff couldn’t get the job done against the Spartans, setting up a rubber match on May 12.

Iowa+pitcher+Cam+Baumann+throws+the+ball+during+the+game+against+UC+Irvine+at+Duane+Banks+Field+on+Saturday%2C+May+4%2C+2019.+The+Hawkeyes+defeated+the+Anteaters+1-0.

Katina Zentz

Iowa pitcher Cam Baumann throws the ball during the game against UC Irvine at Duane Banks Field on Saturday, May 4, 2019. The Hawkeyes defeated the Anteaters 1-0.

Pete Ruden, Sports Editor

After picking up a win in the first of a three-game set against Michigan State, Iowa baseball fell to the Spartans, 9-4, in Game 2 at Banks Field on Saturday.

Hawkeye starter Cam Baumann took the loss for Iowa just one week after tossing five scoreless innings in a 1-0 win over then-No.18 Cal-Irvine.

It became clear early that it was not the same Baumann who took the mound against the Anteaters.

In the first inning, Michigan State’s Royce Ando hit a two-out single to bring in the Spartans’ first run of the day.

Things only got uglier in the third, as Michigan State scored back-to-back runs on a balk and a wild pitch. Then, a run on a fielder’s choice from Zaid Walker gave the Spartans a 4-0 advantage.

But Iowa battled back in the fourth and fifth.

Austin Martin brought in a run on an RBI triple to kick off the fourth, and Tanner Padgett brought him in on a fielder’s choice on the next at bat. In the fifth, Iowa took advantage of an error by Ando at second base which allowed outfielder Ben Norman to score and cut the Spartan advantage to 1.

That’s as close as the Hawkeyes would get, though. Michigan State scored at least 1 run in each of the next four innings, including 2 in the seventh, to close the door on a Hawkeye comeback.

Iowa ended up using six arms on the day, and four of them gave up at least one earned run.

The series rubber match will take place tomorrow at Banks Field at 1:05 p.m. Iowa’s seniors will be honored before their last game at home.