South Dakota State hit the road last weekend for a weekend series with Iowa, but the Hawkeyes gave the Jackrabbits a rude welcome, winning all three games to drop SDSU’s record to 4-12 on the season.

Iowa 5, SDSU 4
PARKVILLE, Mo. — South Dakota State took nationally ranked Iowa down to the wire in Friday’s series-opening baseball game at Creekside Baseball Park, but a three-run eighth inning proved to be the difference for the Hawkeyes in a 5-4 victory.

Iowa improved to 13-3 overall, while the Jackrabbits dropped to 4-10. Friday’s game was moved to the Kansas City area due to inclement weather.

The Jackrabbits held a pair of two-run leads, but Iowa quickly answered both times. SDSU took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning as Jess Bellows scored the first run of the contest on a balk and Ryan McDonald came across later in the frame on a run-scoring single by Dawson Parry.
Iowa tied the game in the home half of the inning on an RBI single by Brennen Dorighi, who later scored on a double by Raider Tello.

The game remained deadlocked until the eighth inning. SDSU loaded the bases with nobody out when Cade Stuff walked, Parry was hit by a pitch and Nic Nelson singled to center field. Adam Benes then drew a walk to force in Stuff with the go-ahead run and Bellows plated pinch-runner Matthew Werk with his third hit of the game, an infield single.

SDSU’s lead wouldn’t stand, however, as Michael Seegers brought the Hawkeyes within a run with an RBI single and Kyle Huckstorf followed with a two-run double to left center off Dylan Driessen. It was Huckstorf’s fourth hit of the game for a Hawkeye squad that held a 9-7 advantage in hits.

Luke Llewellyn notched the save with a scoreless ninth that featured a pair of strikeouts. Four Hawkeye hurlers combined for 15 strikeouts in the game, including seven by starter Brody Brecht over five innings.

Jackrabbit starter and Bettendorf native Alex Clemons struck out five batters over two shutout innings, while Reece Arbogast added 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.

Iowa 12, SDSU 2
IOWA CITY – The Jacks took an early 2-0 lead in the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader, but a five run fifth inning and a seven-run sixth inning helped the Hawkeyes pick up a 12-2 victory.

SDSU took advantage of Iowa starter Marcus Morgan’s control issues early as Luke Ira scored on a wild pitch to get on the board. Drew Beazley scored on Jess Bellows’s RBI ground out to make it a 2-0 game but things came unraveled in the third inning.

The Hawkeyes tagged SDSU starter Blake Kunz for five runs in the third, highlighted by RBI singles from Chase Mosley, Sam Petersen, Cade Moss and Michael Seegers.

Iowa extended its lead in the seventh as Raider Tello and Brayden Frazier delivered RBI singles and Petersen smashed a three-run homer to break the game open.

Jared Simpson took over in the fourth inning and allowed just one hit while striking out 10 and walking one to earn the victory for the Hawkeyes. Dylan Richey allowed three hits over 2/3 of an inning while Eli Sundquist allowed four runs over 2 1/3 innings while striking out three batters and walking three batters and Dylan Driessen allowed three runs over 2/3 of an inning for SDSU.

Beazley went 1-for-2 with a walk in the loss while Bellows went 1-for-3 and Ryan McDonald went 1-for-4.

Nic Nelson put the Jacks on the board in the first inning when his single scored McDonald for an early 1-0 lead. A wild pitch from Iowa starter Cade Obermueller allowed Bellows to score and make it a 2-0 lead before Kyle Huckstorf hit a solid home run in the bottom of the first inning to make it a 2-1 game.

Dawsom Parry expanded SDSU’s lead with an RBI double in the top of the second inning before Iowa rallied with two runs in the bottom of the third inning. Keaton Anthony delivered an RBI double and later scored on a wild pitch from Jacks starter Brady Hawkins before Tello’s two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning put the Hawkeyes up for good.

Ty Langenberg got the win for the Hawkeyes, throwing four scoreless innings with two hits and six strikeouts while Will Christophersen got the save by striking out two Jacks in an inning of work.
Ryan Bourassa took the loss for SDSU allowing two runs on one hit with a walk and three strikeouts.
McDonald, Parry, Nelson and Ira all went 1-for-3 in the loss.

UP NEXT
The Jacks will remain on the road to travel to Northern Colorado for a three-game series beginning on Friday afternoon.