With a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning, St. Thomas first baseman Joe Roder sent a deep fly ball towards left-center field. As Iowa center fielder Miles Risley and left fielder Ben Wilmes pursued the ball, Wilmes jumped up and slammed into the wall to haul in a magnificent catch and record the second out of the frame.
The ridiculous play would be positive foreshadowing for the outcome of this game. One day after suffering a shocking loss to Western Illinois, the Hawkeyes returned to the winning column, dispatching the Tommies in a 15-5 whitewashing at Duane Banks Field.
“I knew the wind was blowing out, so I knew my route had to be deeper than usual,” Wilmes said about the catch. “He [Roder] put a really good swing on it, and I got to do whatever I can to help my pitcher in that situation. If that’s putting my shoulder on the line with the wall and going up to make that catch, that’s the best opportunity.”
Just a few minutes later, in the bottom of that same second inning, Wilmes stepped up to the plate with a runner on second and one out. The Hawkeye outfielder connected on a 3-1 pitch and sent it soaring over the left field wall for a two-run homer to cap off a four-run inning.
The homer was measured at 375 feet with a 97 mph exit velocity and a 40 degree launch angle. The St. Thomas left fielder only ran about five steps before turning into a spectator.
“All I was really thinking was fastball over the heart of the plate,” Wilmes said. “Especially in a 3-1 count, get your best swing off. Today I used the wind that’s going to left field, that was kind of the case today.”
Following a hot offensive start in which they scored in the first three frames, the Iowa offense fizzled for a moment and failed to score in the fourth and fifth innings. The Hawkeyes managed to load the bases in the sixth with two outs, and in stepped catcher Daniel Rogers.
On the first pitch of the at-bat, Rogers ripped a single through the right side to score two runs and add on to the Iowa lead. The Hawkeyes would later tack on two more runs in the inning for the second four-run inning of the night.
“I knew he had thrown a lot of balls before then, I think there was a four pitch walk to Miles [Risley],” Rogers said about his approach for his sixth inning at bat. “So I was just sitting dead red heater, down and in where I like it and that’s exactly what came, and I didn’t miss it that time.”
Rogers finished his night 2-for-4 with three runs batted in and two runs scored. The first RBI on the night for the Iowa catcher came in the third inning, where he drove in Miles Risley from first with a ringing double to left-center.
Wilmes and Rogers greatly contributed to an offensive explosion in a much needed bounceback victory. The two combined for five RBIs and went 3-for-9 collectively.
“It was good to see Daniel Rogers come through with a big hit to drive in some runs,” head coach Rick Heller said. “The message to Dan was, ‘go up with intent to do damage.’ You shouldn’t be swinging, especially in these games, unless you think you can hit a double or home run until you get to two strikes.”