Hawkeye Baseball Makes Quick Work of Loras, Wins 8–1
Iowa City, Iowa — The Iowa Hawkeyes downed the Loras Duhawks 8–1 in the 2017 opener at Duane Banks Field. The game was announced just days prior its first pitch, and was over just as suddenly as it was scheduled.
With one swing of the bat, junior Matt Hoeg put the Hawkeyes ahead for good with a bases clearing triple down the right field line in the bottom of the first inning.
“The past two days we’ve been working hard on looking the other way, so that was my approach,” Hoeg said of his key at-bat. “(Loras) kept working on fastballs, and my teammates got on base, and so I was just trying to look for that outside fastball and drive it the other way. It just happened to land in the right spot.”
With a lot of new faces in the lineup, Iowa will rely on their returning players to deliver. In particular, senior SS Mason McCoy and sophomore RF Robert Neustrom will shoulder much of the offensive responsibility.
So far this year, the duo has delivered.
Combining for three hits, a pair of walks, two RBIs, and three runs scored against the Duhawks, McCoy (.333 average) and Neustrom (.467) continued their hot starts to the season.
In the field, freshman Grant Judkins, one of the most highly touted recruits in the Big Ten, got the ball to start for the Hawkeyes. The Pella native went three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while fanning four.
“I’ve always been more comfortable starting,” Judkins, who earned his first career win in his first career start, said after the game. “Today I felt comfortable out there, and it feels good to get the first start under the belt and move on from here.”
After freshman Kyle Shimp and junior Nicky Nelsen combined to go three more scoreless innings, sophomore Sammy Lizarraga conceded Loras’ sole run of the night on a double down the right field line by Danny Paluch.
The run proved to be meaningless, however, as the Hawkeyes held serve and finished Loras off to win 8–1.
In a game pitting a Division 1 program against a Division 3 foe, the outcome isn’t important; it’s the experience that matters.
“It’s just another game for them to play,” Heller said. “The more they play, especially the new guys, they become more comfortable and they’re able to relax and play.”
On Friday, Iowa will travel to Hoover, Alabama to compete in the Hoover Classic with a two-game set against Alabama State and a single contest against Morehead State on the docket.
By Jack Brandsgard — Posted 02/22/17
Podcasting 10 years of Original Programming on Iowa Athletics
