On the heels of elite pitching, Iowa struck early and held on to beat Indiana baseball 9-2 Saturday at Bart Kaufman Field in Bloomington, following a familiar script to its 12-2 win over Indiana in the series opener Friday.
After jumping to an early lead in Friday’s 12-2 win, the Hawkeyes again struck in the first inning Saturday and leaned on strong pitching to defeat the Hoosiers.
Iowa set the tone immediately. Four of the first five Iowa hitters reached base to open the game, and the pressure quickly turned into runs. A wild pitch brought home the first run before RBI swings from Iowa’s senior first baseman Caleb Wulf and redshirt freshman catcher Carter Geffre extended the lead to 3-0 before Indiana could record an out.
The early deficit forced the Hoosiers into another uphill battle — a situation that mirrored Friday’s opener, when Iowa also built a multi-run lead in the first two innings and never relinquished control.
Indiana starter sophomore left-handed pitcher Brayton Thomas struggled to settle in, and Iowa took advantage of early opportunities. The Hawkeyes added to their lead in the fourth inning when redshirt junior utility player Kellen Strohmeyer launched a two-run home run to right field, pushing the advantage to 5-0 and giving Iowa control of the game.
The Hawkeyes added another run in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly from redshirt sophomore catcher Max Burt, continuing a steady approach built on timely hitting and putting the ball in play.
Meanwhile, Iowa’s pitching staff, anchored by its starter junior right hand pitcher Maddux Frese, dictated the pace. Frese pitched seven innings, allowing just one run on two hits.
The Hawkeyes kept Indiana off balance throughout the afternoon, limiting hard contact and preventing any sustained offensive pressure. The Hoosiers were held scoreless through six innings and were unable to build any consistent momentum at the plate.
Indiana finally broke through in the seventh.
Freshman catcher Owen ten Oever provided the first spark, hitting a solo home run down the left-field line to cut the deficit to 6-1.
But any momentum was short-lived.
Iowa responded immediately in the eighth inning, capitalizing on defensive miscues from Indiana. Wulf advanced into scoring position on an error before Strohmeyer reached on another throwing error, allowing Wulf to score.
The next at bat, Burt delivered the decisive blow, launching a two-run home run to left field to extend Iowa’s lead to 9-1 and put the game out of reach.
The Hawkeyes once again combined early offense with consistent pitching to control the game from start to finish.
The Hoosiers were limited to isolated opportunities and were unable to string together productive innings against Iowa’s staff. Outside of ten Oever’s home run and Decker’s RBI walk in the eighth inning, Indiana failed to generate sustained offense, falling 9-2.
With the series already decided, Indiana will look to avoid a sweep in Sunday’s finale at 1 p.m. at Bart Kaufman Field.
Follow reporters Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) and Will Kwiatkowski (@WKwiatkowski_15 and wdkwiatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana baseball season.
