By Hawkeyespors.com

LUBBOCK, Texas – The 23rd ranked University of Iowa baseball team was defeated, 8-3, on Saturday afternoon by No. 21 Texas Tech on Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.

“I thought we came out and fought hard,” said head coach Rick Heller. “We knew Molina was in our opinion their most talented starter, we saw him last year. We knew he would be a tough matchup.”

Brody Brecht got the start and took the loss for Iowa throwing 5 and 2/3 innings allowing five hits, three walks, and two earned runs while striking out seven. Zach Voelker threw the final 2 1/3 innings allowing six earned runs.

“We were hoping to get a quality start out of Brody Brecht which we did,” said Heller. “Brody was good. Tight game and we give up runs in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth. Really disappointing after we rally and make it a 4-3 game in the top of the eighth.”

Kyle Huckstorf was 2-for-4 with a 474-foot solo home run. Sam Hojnar was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Sam Petersen was 1-for-3 with an RBI double.

“Offensively, we could definitely be in a better place,” said Heller. “But I thought our focus was good today. Tip your hat, Texas Tech pitched us pretty well. That is a game you have to win 5-4, we just weren’t able to do it. They beat us today, they swung the bats better, they took advantage of the wind better with some home runs and extra base hits. Disappointing, but it wasn’t a lack of physical effort or preparation we just got beat today.”

The Hawkeyes were outhit 10-8 and left 10 runners stranded.

Of Note

• Iowa moves to 1-2 on the season in games against ranked opponents.
• Keaton Anthony extended his on base streak to 28 games dating back to last season.
• Brecht moves to 1-1 on the season with a 2.66 ERA and 36 strikeouts.

Up Next

The Hawkeyes and the Red Raiders wrap up their three-game series tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. Marcus Morgan will get the start for Iowa and will matchup with Kyle Robinson for Texas Tech. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ ($) and the Hawkeye Radio Network.