Iowa baseball splits Saturday doubleheader with Illinois at Duane Banks Field
The Hawkeyes prevailed over the Illini in game one, but Iowa fell in extra innings in the nightcap.
Iowa second baseman Brendan Sher hits the ball during the first baseball game of a doubleheader between Iowa and Illinois at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City on Saturday, April 9, 2022. Sher scored a home run in the 7th inning. The Hawkeyes defeated the Fighting Illini, 4-2.
April 10, 2022
The Iowa baseball team split Saturday afternoon’s home doubleheader against Illinois, winning the first game, 4-2, and losing the second game in extra innings, 7-5.
The first game of the Hawkeyes’ weekend series was postponed from Friday to Saturday afternoon because of inclement weather.
The Hawkeyes opened up the scoring in game one. Shortstop Michael Seegers ripped a single to right field to bring home redshirt junior Brendan Sher, which put Iowa up 1-0 at the end of three innings. Iowa continued to control the scoreboard throughout, never trailing in the contest. Two runs in the fourth inning pushed the Hawkeyes’ advantage to 3-0.
Although Illinois scored a pair of runs, Sher’s seventh inning homer sealed the win for the Hawkeyes.
The second game of the afternoon was a thirteen-inning thriller.
Iowa once again jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the third. A double from Sher sparked a streak after no hits in the first two innings.
A pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth extended the Iowa lead, but Illinois managed to catch up. The Illini recorded three runs in the top of the seventh to tie the score at four apiece.
The Hawkeye lefty first baseman Peyton Williams clobbered a solo home run to put the Hawkeyes back out front, 5-4.
The Illini tied the game at five in the top of the ninth, and turned a double play in the bottom to send the game to extra innings.
After several scoreless innings, Illinois scored two runs in the top of the thirteenth, and Iowa couldn’t undo the deficit.
“It was a painful loss, but I thought Illinois bullpen pitched really well,” head coach Rick Heller said via release Saturday night. “They’re a good team. They’re a veteran offensive team that we held down for the most part. There are a lot of positives and negatives from today, but at the end of the day, you have a three or four run lead, you have to finish it off and we have to get it done.”
Big Picture
The Hawkeyes received votes in the most recent National College Baseball Writers Association poll.
With the split on Saturday, Iowa now has a 16-11 record with a 3-2 mark in Big Ten play.
Up next
Iowa will host Illinois on Sunday afternoon for the third and final installment of the weekend series. The game will begin at 2:05 p.m., and streaming is available on BTN+.