By hawkeyesports.com

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa baseball team clinched its weekend series with Maryland, picking up a pair of wins on Saturday winning 14-4 in eight innings and 5-2 at Duane Banks Field.

“We talked about how good of a job everybody did,” said head coach Rick Heller. “Across the board with the offense, defense and the pitching staff. We’ve really challenged ourselves to rally behind each other and pick each other up. Have guys step up and clutch up more on the offensive side. It wasn’t perfect by any stretch, but it was better. We’re making progress.”

Game one resumed a suspended contest from Friday, beginning in the bottom of the sixth inning with Iowa leading 6-4 with two runners on and one out.

Game 1

Maryland struck first, plating two runs in the opening inning on a single up the middle.

The Hawkeyes answered in the third. Junior Kooper Schulte reached on a fielding error before senior Gable Mitchell launched a two‑run homer to right field. Senior Miles Risley and Caleb Wulf added back‑to‑back singles, and freshman Carter Geffre followed with a home run to deep center to give Iowa the lead.

Redshirt freshman Kyle Alivo drew a walk and senior Joey Nerat doubled to right field, scoring Alivo from first to push the advantage to 6–2.

Maryland closed the gap with a double in the fourth and a solo home run in the fifth.

Iowa broke the game open in the seventh. Redshirt junior Kellen Strohmeyer doubled to left‑center and scored on Alivo’s double down the right‑field line. Nerat singled and later scored on a wild pitch. Mitchell and Risley drew back‑to‑back walks before Wulf singled to left, driving in Schulte.

Strohmeyer capped the inning with a triple to right‑center, scoring Mitchell, Risley and Wulf.

The Hawkeyes secured the run‑rule victory in the eighth when Nerat doubled to right field and redshirt sophomore Jaixen Frost followed with an RBI single, scoring Nerat for the 14–4 final.

Sophomore Tyler Guerin started for Iowa, allowing three runs on four hits in 3 2/3 innings. Junior Beau Leisure earned his first win of the season, pitching two innings and allowing one run on one hit. Alivo closed it out, earning the save in 2 1/3 innings of work, allowing two hits and striking out three.

Game 2

Iowa struck first in the opening inning when Nerat reached on a walk and scored from second on a single to shallow right by redshirt freshman Brett White.

The Hawkeyes added three runs in the fifth. Schulte and Mitchell singled to left before Wulf reached on a fielder’s choice, scoring Schulte. Geffre followed with a single to shallow right, driving in Mitchell and Wulf.

Maryland got on the board in the sixth with a solo home run.

Schulte answered in the bottom half with an RBI double to left, scoring Nerat.

The Terrapins added a solo home run in the eighth, but that was all the offense they would manage.

Senior Maddux Frese earned his second win of the season, throwing seven innings while allowing one run on six hits and striking out six. Senior Joe Husak pitched the final two innings in relief, giving up one run on one hit.

Up Next

Iowa (21-15, 7-10 Big Ten) wrap up the series against Maryland on Sunday at Duane Banks Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1:02 p.m. CT.