After trailing for over six innings on Sunday afternoon, the Iowa baseball team knocked in eight runs in one frame to take down Minnesota, 9-3, at Duane Banks Field.

The Hawkeyes had three hits through six innings to start the game and trailed 3-0. Minnesota starting pitcher Aidan Maldonaldo threw 5.1 innings on Sunday afternoon, allowing zero runs on two hits. Maldonaldo left the game after throwing 100 pitches. 

“The big thing was that Aidan Maldonado was really good today,” Iowa head coach Rick Heller said. “And he’s a great arm, and we knew that coming into today that he had the capability of really shutting you down. And, you know, we didn’t execute our plan. We chased way too much. We were undisciplined.”

Then, the Gophers’ bullpen faltered in the seventh inning as Minnesota cycled through four pitchers to get three outs. Iowa strung together seven hits in the bottom of the seventh inning to take an 8-3 lead. 

Sophomore Will Mulflur hit the go-ahead double at the bottom of the seventh, collecting two RBIs as the Hawkeyes took their first lead of the game.

“I found myself in a lot of two strike counts over the whole season, really,” Mulflur said postgame. “And just see deep two strikes, get a good swing on it, and got it past the third baseman there, so it worked out.”

Big Picture

The Hawkeyes completed their first conference sweep of the 2022 season on Sunday afternoon. 

“Coming back late like that, it’s really good for the confidence and good for the psyche of the team,” Heller said.  “And to do it with a bunch of guys out of the lineup … says a lot about our culture and the toughness of the group that we have and the guys stepping up and getting the job done.”

Iowa is now 20-12 overall on the season and 6-3 in the Big Ten with a four-game winning streak.

Nedved shuts down Gophers

Hawkeye starting pitcher Ty Langenberg allowed three runs on six hits on Sunday afternoon in three innings of work. After sophomore Ben DeTaeye put in two innings on the mound, senior Dylan Nedved closed out the final four frames, allowing just one hit.

“It’s just great to have him back at the end of the game,” Heller said. “This weekend went a lot different than last weekend, and a big reason was having him at the back end to help us on Friday and then Sunday. So, I was really pleased not only with him, but with our entire pitching staff.”

Nedved had started the past two Friday night games while Hawkeye ace Adam Mazur was recovering from a hip injury. Now, Nedved is back in the bullpen.

“I mean, it doesn’t really matter to me,” Nedved said of returning to the bullpen. “Just trying to get my team the best chance to win whenever I can. So, whenever they decide to give me the ball, I’m ready for it.”

Anthony misses second straight game

Redshirt freshman Keaton Anthony, who leads Iowa with a .354 batting average, missed the final two games of the Hawkeyes’ series against the Gophers this weekend.

Heller said Anthony had a fever and likely strep throat, which kept him out of competition. Heller predicts that Anthony will return on Tuesday.

“That’ll be big to get him back,” Heller said. “But to be able to win two games after taking out one of the hottest guys in the country was rough, and we did it, so super proud.”

Up next

Iowa will take on Bradley in a midweek game at Duane Banks Field on Tuesday at 6:05 p.m.

The Hawkeyes will head on the road next weekend, traveling to Piscataway, New Jersey, for a three-game series against Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are on a 15-game winning streak and have an 11-1 conference record.