IU takes three of four over weekend

Much improved pitching led IU to take three of four games from the Iowa Hawkeye in Iowa City, Iowa this weekend. The Hoosiers (19-7, 5-3 Big Ten) played back-to-back double headers Saturday and Sunday. \nIn the first three games of the four game set, coach Bob Morgan saw two pitchers, senior Jacob Cary and freshman Josh Lewis, pitch complete game victories, and junior Adam Pegg and freshman Chris Hynes combine for the third.\nMorgan continues to rely on Cary, the ace of his pitching staff. Cary (6-0) continued to deliver with this fourth straight complete game. The Bruceville, Ind., native scattered seven hits over seven innings with a strike out to walk ratio of five to one.\nIn the first game, the Hoosiers' bats came out hot, scoring a pair of runs on junior Kevin Mahar's two-out, two-run double that plated senior Mark Calkins and sophomore Corby Heckman. \nIU's leading hitter coming into the weekend, Heckman, only had one hit in the first game. But he made it count in the top of the third when his RBI single scored senior Brad DeStefano to extend the Hoosier lead to 3-0. \nAnother RBI double, this time by Calkins, added IU's final run of the contest scoring junior Cody Wargo on a deep shot to left and pushing IU's lead to 4-0.\nIn the bottom of the fourth, the Hawkeyes manufactured two runs to draw closer 4-2, but it was not enough to out do Cary and the Hoosiers. \nThe second game saw the tables turn as Iowa scored two-runs in their opening frame. But IU battled back as junior Ryan Donley started a two-out rally with a single to left-center. Junior Seth Bynum followed with a single to right. And after two consecutive walks by Hawkeye hurler Ryan Mentkowski, Donley trotted home on a free pass to draw IU closer 2-1. \nSenior Vasili Spanos' RBI double in the top of the third scored Heckman to even the score 2-2. \nAfter Spanos' hit, the game remained scoreless as both teams failed to capitalize with men on base. IU left eight men on base at games end with Iowa's 10.\nWith the game extending into the 10th inning, a familiar combo stepped up for the Hoosiers. Heckman was hit by a pitch, and Spanos took advantage of the Iowa mistake with a single to right. After Heckman advanced to third on an error and Spanos stole second, the stage was set for Nick Evans, and the senior came through with a bloop single scoring two and clinching an IU victory 4-2.\nAlong with Evans, Hynes and Spanos were the heroes for the Hoosiers. Hynes pitched the last five innings and held Iowa scoreless. Spanos finished four for five with an RBI.\nIn the third game, Spanos started hot again with a double down the right field line. Mahar singled to advance him to third, and Spanos scored on Donley's double play ground ball.\nIU added two runs in the top of the third, but Iowa countered back with a long one off freshman Josh Lewis in the fifth inning to draw the Hawkeye's closer 3-1.\nBut in the next inning, Spanos put the game out of reach with a two-run blast. It was Spanos' fourth home run of the season and insured IU's victory, 5-1.\nLewis' (1-0) complete game was his first victory of his collegiate career.\nIU started hot in the fourth game when Evans continued his timely situational hitting with a two-out, two-RBI single scoring Heckman and DeStefano to put IU up 2-0.\nIU's pitching fortunes ran out in the fourth game as the Hawkeye's jumped early on junior Chris Behrens by scoring three runs in the first. A Behrens' wild pitch and an error led to the Hawkeye's three runs while they only compiled one hit.\nThe Hoosiers added single runs in the third and sixth innings to take the lead at 4-3, but little did IU know Iowa's impending onslaught. Iowa used five hits to score five runs to retake the lead 8-4. A lone Hoosier run wasn't enough as IU lost its first game of the weekend 8-5.\nIU returns to action Wednesday against Valparaiso at Sembower Field at 3 p.m.