Hawkeyes bring heat to Sunshine State

Iowa baseball’s trip to Port Charlotte over the weekend proved to be a success. The Hawkeyes went 2-1, scoring 36 runs across three games of action.

Iowa+pitcher+Trenton+Wallace+takes+his+turn+on+the+mound+during+a+game+against+Ontario+at+Duane+Banks+Field+on+Friday%2C+September+13%2C+2019.+The+Hawkeyes+defeated+the+Blue+Jays++30-6+in+14+innings.

Jenna Galligan

Iowa pitcher Trenton Wallace takes his turn on the mound during a game against Ontario at Duane Banks Field on Friday, September 13, 2019. The Hawkeyes defeated the Blue Jays 30-6 in 14 innings.

Austin Hanson, Sports Reporter

Iowa baseball has been on a roll of late. In their last four games, the Hawkeyes have scored 51 runs.

Iowa kicked off the offensive onslaught in their home-opener at Duane Banks Field Mar. 3. Iowa blew past Grand View, 15-2.

The Hawkeyes then traveled to Port Charlotte, Florida, for the Snowbird Baseball Classic, and they brought their offense with them.

Iowa’s opening game of the series came against Western Michigan. The game ended prematurely as Iowa claimed a 10-0 lead in the seventh inning, forcing a ten-run mercy rule.

Sophomore Jack Dreyer pitched all seven innings. He struck out seven batters and allowed just three hits.

“It was tough to hit [on Friday],” head coach Rick Heller said in a release. “The wind was knocking everything down. In the fifth we broke it open with a five spot and five or six guys had two hits after that.”

Iowa’s offensive firepower reached its peak Saturday. The Hawkeyes blew past Georgetown, 22-2. The Hawkeyes started hot early, scoring 10 runs in the first eight innings.

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Things got out of hand quickly for the Hoyas in the ninth inning. Iowa drove in a whopping 12 runs. 15 Hawkeyes stepped to the plate during the ninth inning, and eleven of Iowa’s 12 runs were scored before Georgetown recorded an out.

“We were able to get some runs on the board in the first inning,” Heller said in a release. “We barreled some balls up off their starter. It was consistent innings after that the rest of the game. We were constantly battling and putting good at-bats together. We had good at-bats on a day that wasn’t a great day to hit. ”

Iowa concluded play in Florida against Army on Sunday. The offense that Iowa had its previous three games disappeared against the Knights. The Hawkeyes put up four runs and ultimately lost, 4-6.

Early on, Iowa and Army nearly played each other to a stalemate. The Knights posted the game’s first run in the top of third. Iowa fired right back, responding with a run in the bottom of the inning.

In the fourth inning, Army scored two runs off of a Hawkeye error. The adversity didn’t slow Iowa down. In the bottom half of the fourth, junior Trenton Wallace hit a two-run RBI double to tie the game at three runs apiece.

The Knights dished out a blow Iowa could not respond from in the fifth, putting up two more runs to bring their total to five on the day. An eighth inning score effectively clinched Army’s 6-4 victory.

“It was disappointing,” Heller said in a release. “We didn’t play well. We made a lot of mistakes. We tried to fight back offensively, but wasn’t a great day to hit. The wind was hawking straight in from center field and it affected the game. We were able to get 11 hits on the day and had chances. Give Army credit, they had a lot of two-out, two-strike hits. We didn’t execute our pitches like we were capable of.”

Iowa is now 8-5 and will return to Duane Banks Field for a two-game home series against Kansas starting Monday afternoon.