The Iowa softball team ended its season with its senior celebration weekend series with Purdue. While the Hawkeyes won the opener, they dropped the following pair of contests and finished with a 27-27 mark on the season. Iowa went 7-17 in the Big Ten, finishing in 13th place and one win short of Minnesota for qualifying for the conference tournament. 

“It’s a tough way to end the season like this, but those seniors left this program in a great place,” Iowa head coach Stacy May-Johnson said. “We are going to look at things we can get better at this off-season, and I know this team will be really excited to get after it.”

Iowa pulled out an 8-7 win Friday night behind veteran pitching and a powerful offense. 

Defensively, the Hawkeyes were led by fourth-year Serayah Neiss, who threw all but four pitches Friday. Neiss gave up eight hits, four walks, and one hit-by-pitch in 122 total pitches. 

The only at-bat she did not face was in the sixth inning, when she was replaced by third-year Avery Sapp, who threw four straight balls, including two wild pitches, before Neiss reentered the circle to finish the game. 

“I did not know I was going to go back in,” Neiss said. “I was just like, alright, I’ll go out and give it my all again, but it was definitely unexpected, but also exciting nonetheless.” 

The Iowa offense capitalized early, scoring six of its eight runs in the first inning. The Hawkeyes sent up 11 total batters, highlighted by a two-run RBI double from first-year Mariah Myers and another two-run RBI, this time by redshirt sophomore Nailyn Marshall. 

The Hawkeyes’ big lead would be slowly chipped away by the Boilermakers until the fourth inning, when Purdue’s Haley Painter hammered a three-run homer to deep left field, tying the game at six. 

Iowa responded that same inning with a solo home run by third-year Leah McAnally and later an RBI single from first-year McKenzie Leitgen to put the Hawkeyes up, 8-6. 

But Friday night’s highlight play was actually the last play of the game. The Boilermakers would nab a three-run RBI double in the top of the seventh with two outs on the board. But the Hawkeye bench managed to notice something important. 

They ultimately challenged that the third base runner had left early, and after a lengthy review, it was confirmed she had left prior to the ball leaving Neiss’ hand, meaning the runner was out and Iowa had won. May-Johnson credited the awareness of junior Devin Bowman and senior Anna Streff, calling the duo the players of the game. 

“They have called about four or five runners leaving early and have been right every single time,” the coach said. “They’ve honestly given us two or three additional wins this season because of it.” 

Saturday was completely unlike Friday, as the Hawkeyes would fall, 6-1, recording just one hit. 

Iowa’s only offense came as a hit-by-pitch to second-year Kiara Sipe, a walk to third-year Devin Simon, and the only Hawkeye hit with a double in the sixth inning from fourth-year Avery Jackson. Iowa only struck out four times in 20 at-bats. 

First-year Braylen Conlon took the loss for the Hawkeyes, conceding four earned runs on six hits. The trio of Hawkeye pitchers gave up 11 hits, three walks, and struck out five of the 36 Purdue batters. 

“I think they all did well out there, and I don’t think Braylen threw poorly; she just needs to get better at efficiency and getting more batters out every inning,” May-Johnson said. 

Coming into the weekend, Iowa was tied with Minnesota for the 12th and final spot in the Big Ten tournament; the Golden Gophers had the tiebreaker on their side with their series win over the Hawkeyes earlier this season. 

Both Iowa and Minnesota had lost and won a game in each of their weekend series by Sunday morning, meaning if the Hawkeyes were to have a chance at the tournament, they would first need to win that afternoon. 

But after a hard-fought battle on senior day, the Hawkeyes would fall, 7-5, to the Boilermakers to end their season.

Neiss again started in the circle before being exchanged for Sapp later in the game. Neiss, this time around, gave up 10 hits, one walk, and two hit-by-pitches through her 28 at-bats. 

But offensively, it was Iowa’s star center fielder, Simon, who led her team at the plate. She alone had four of the five RBIs for the Hawkeyes off a pair of two-run homers. 

“We have been seeing all the pitching pretty well this weekend,” Simon said. “You just have to trust that the game will give back to you if you hit the ball hard, but really it’s just about not getting down on ourselves.”

But even after getting some key defensive outs with a planned back-pick to get a third out at third and an underhand bunt catch by Neiss, the Boilermakers stormed back in the top of the sixth. A hit-by-pitch produced a run, then Painter single drove in two to take the lead for good.  

Five Hawkeye seniors saw their last at-bats, pitches, and time on a collegiate softball field Sunday afternoon, but the memories made along the way will never be forgotten. 

“I am just so proud of this team and for this season,” Neiss said. “I didn’t know coming in if they were going to accept me, but they welcomed me with open arms, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”