Hawkeyes blank Quinnipiac, start season 3-0

Dominating. That was the Hawkeyes victory yesterday and it was the same story today. The pitching staff kept the Quinnipiac bats quiet, while the offense put runs on the board. Iowa defeated the Bobcats 10-0 in eight innings due to ten-run rule. It is just Iowa’s third 3-0 start in the last 16 seasons.

“Just like yesterday I feel really good about how our guys came out and played hard,” said head coach Rick Heller. “Early morning two days in a row. We didn’t have a let down.”

Once again, it was the pitching staff that set the tone on the mound. Marcus Morgan got the ball and showed signs of improvement in his second season with the team. Morgan recorded just one strikeout over 4.0 innings, but allowed just three hits and no runs.

“Got a quality start out of Marcus Morgan. Really happy with how Marcus went out and competed, he didn’t give up a run and scattered three hits,” said Heller.

Luke Llewellyn came out of the bullpen in relief of Morgan in the fifth inning. He had to work around a hit and a walk, but put a zero on the board. Keaton Anthony followed Llewellyn for his first appearance on the mound and went 2.2 scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and a walk, but also struck out a pair of Bobcats. Nick Gotilla came on to get the final out of the eighth inning in his first appearance as a Hawkeye.

At the plate, Iowa had plenty of run support for their pitchers. Quinnipiac gifted the Hawkeyes their first runs in the bottom of the first inning. An error, a walk and a hit by pitch loaded the bases, while a throwing error by 1B Sebastian Mueller allowed two runs to score.

Brennen Dorighi extended the lead to 4-0 in the third with a two-run home run to left field. His first home run in an Iowa uniform. Brayden Frazier added on later, in the inning, with a two-run double to make it 6-0 Hawkeyes. Frazier finished with five RBI’s this weekend.

Iowa added to their total in the fourth inning. Sam Petersen brought in a run with an RBI double, while Sam Hojnar made it 8-0 with an RBI single. In the eighth, a balk by Bobcats pitcher Frank Craska scored run number nine, while an RBI groundout from Chase Moseley gave the Hawkeyes the 10-0, ten-run rule victory in eight innings.

“Offensively, it was a pretty balanced attack up and down the lineup today. That was good to see, we were putting pressure on them virtually every inning,” said Heller. “They gave us some free bases, and we ended up with six extra base hits today. Dorighi had a big home run to break things open. Guys had doubles to bring people in.”

Nine Iowa hitters finished with a hit, while Keaton Anthony and Sam Petersen each had two. True freshman Blake Guerin recorded a double for the second straight day. Brennen Dorighi, Kyle Huckstorf and Brayden Frazier each had two RBI’s. The offense was 5/8 (.625) to lead off innings and

PLAYER OF THE GAME: DH/P Keaton Anthony (1st) – 2/4, 3 R, 1 2B / 2.2 INN, 2 K, 1 BB, 0 R

In his first game as a two-way player, Keaton Anthony made a big impact. At the plate, he finished with two hits and a walk, while he scored three runs for the Hawkeyes. On the mound, he tossed 2.2 scoreless innings.

UP NEXT FOR THE HAWKEYES…

With the win, Iowa gets the opening weekend sweep in the Snowbird Classic. Up next, is a trip to Texas for the Karbach Round Rock Classic. The Hawkeyes will face Sam Houston State, #1 LSU and Kansas State. The opener against the Bearkats on Friday is set for 6:00pm and will be streamed by D1Baseball.com. A full weekend preview will be out later in the week.