The Iowa baseball team got back into the win column Wednesday with an 8-0 win over Cornell College at Duane Banks Field. The Hawkeyes’ shutout victory came on the heels of a 3-1 loss Tuesday against NCAA Division III opponent Loras College. 

The Iowa bats produced 10 hits, including four extra-base hits. The Hawkeyes walked six times, and struck out in five instances.

The Hawkeyes pushed across three runs in the first inning, another two in the second frame, and never let up against the Rams.

Iowa head coach Rick Heller said postgame that the Hawkeyes did a good job moving past the loss to Loras College and bouncing back against Cornell.

“We came out and jumped on them early. That was great to see after yesterday, that it didn’t linger,” Heller said. “We were able to wipe it away and come back out today and play. We got a lot of guys in the game, which is what we were hoping to do. And I thought that we had great at bats up and down the lineup, guys really battled all day long.”

Fifteen Hawkeyes made at least one plate appearance Thursday and nine different players got at least one hit. Sophomore utility player Andy Nelson was the lone Hawkeye with two hits on the day. 

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The victory over the NCAA Division III Rams moves the Hawkeyes to 5-3 on the year, snapping a three-game losing streak.

Iowa split its first homestand of the season.

Pitching staff delivers

While the Iowa bats came alive Wednesday, the Hawkeye pitchers held the visiting Rams to just two hits and five walks. 

Iowa’s six hurlers — Duncan Davitt, Chas Wheatley, Tyson James, Benjamin DeTaeye, Brody Brecht, and Keaton Anthony —  totaled 19 strikeouts on the evening for the Hawkeyes’ second-highest total of the season. 

Wheatley, James, and Anthony made their 2022 season debuts on the mound.

“I was really, really happy with the pitching staff today,” Heller said. They all did a great job and they set the tone for the game … Did a great job pounding the zone. It was super impressive. I can’t say enough about what those guys did.”

Mulflur’s moonshot

Iowa sophomore utility player Will Mulflur transferred from Tacoma Community College for the 2022 season, playing a backup role during the early portion of the Hawkeyes’ year. 

But on Wednesday evening, in just his second Iowa plate appearance, Mulflur went deep. 

Battling the cold wind blowing nearly directly toward home plate, Mulflur belted an eighth-inning offering over the left-field fence. 

“Just kind of the same approach as always, just trying to get a pitch to hit,” Mulflur said postgame. “Second bat this year, first one didn’t really go my way, it was kind of in the back of my mind for a couple of weeks. And just to get an opportunity to get in the game and put a good swing on one, it was fun.

“I was looking middle-in, something straight, got it, kind of cut into the inside of the plate, and put a good swing on it.”

Up next

The Hawkeyes will head to Frisco, Texas, on Friday for the Frisco College Baseball Classic. Iowa will face Wichita State at 1 p.m. Friday, Texas A&M on Saturday at 6 p.m., and Washington State on Sunday at noon.