Iowa softball was swept for the fifth time this season as the Hawkeyes dropped all three games of their away series at No. 8 Northwestern this weekend.

In game one on Friday, the Hawkeyes fell to the Wildcats, 9-5.

Sophomore Denali Loecker got the start in the circle for Iowa and gave up nine runs while striking out three batters. Loecker went  2-for-3 from the plate and hit her 10th home run of the 2022 campaign.

After falling behind, 4-1, Iowa rallied in the fifth inning, scoring three runs to tie the game. But it was not enough to slow down Northwestern. The Wildcats added three more runs in the sixth to put the game away.

In game two on Saturday, senior Breanna Vasquez got the starting nod in the 4-0 loss. Vasquez struck out three Northwestern batters while giving up four runs in a complete game.

The Hawkeyes only mustered four hits at the plate. Junior Kalena Burns had half of the team’s hits, going 2-for-2 on Saturday. 

In game three on Sunday, Northwestern completed the sweep and defeated Iowa, 9-0, in five innings. 

RELATED: Iowa softball loses Cy-Hawk matchup to Iowa State

Big Picture

After the loss, the Hawkeyes’ overall record moved to 19-29 and Iowa’s Big Ten record slid to 2-18.  Iowa has yet to win a Big Ten series thus far and only has one series left against Purdue next weekend at Bob Pearl Field.

The Hawkeyes currently sit in last place in the Big Ten standings. 

Up Next

 Iowa will travel to Cedar Falls, to play its last away game of the season against Northern Iowa. The Hawkeyes will take on the Panthers at the Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. 

The Panthers come into the game with an overall record of 27-11. Northern Iowa has a conference record of 18-1.