Beavers out pitch Iowa, take game two in Des Moines

The story of game two between the Hawkeyes and Beavers really came down to a single inning. Oregon State plated four runs in the third inning, taking advantage of a couple free bases and that held up in their 5-1 win over Iowa.

“When you have two good pitchers on the mound, two good teams playing each other, a lot of times, it’s going to go like this,” said Coach Rick Heller. “They’re going to get a couple of opportunities and you’re going to have a few opportunities…You give them a free base, or you make a mistake, they’re going to hammer it. That’s been the story.”

With the loss, the Hawkeyes fall to 32-17 on the season, while they have now lost five of their last six games.

Players of the Game

• 2B Caleb Wulf: Wulf led the way with two hits, including the Hawkeyes lone RBI hit of the game. He also turned a 4U-3 double play in his first start at second base.
• RHP Daniel Wright: Wright tossed 3.0 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, including two strikeouts to one walk.

Aaron Savary battles control issues, Beavers tally four runs in the third inning

The game really came down to just one out of sorts inning for Aaron Savary. Over his last three starts, Savary had allowed just four runs in 20.0 innings. Aaron dealt with some control issues and the Beavers took advantage with a crooked number in the third inning.

“He was out of sorts. He wasn’t hitting with his fastball, and he wasn’t locating his fastball,” said Heller. “Aaron, a lot of times, will get into 3-2 counts, but he usually wins them. The last three weeks he’s won almost every 3-2 count. Today, he lost every 3-2 count, so there’s the difference in the game. He just wasn’t as sharp as he’s been.”

Savary retired Dallas Macias to begin the inning, but issued a walk to Trent Caraway on a 3-2 pitch. That turn things over to the top of the order and leadoff hitter Aiva Arquette blasted a two-run home run to left field, giving OSU a 2-0 lead. Later in the inning, free bases hurt Aaron again. After a walk and hit by pitch, Canon Reeder roped a two-run double into the left field corner, pushing the lead to 4-0 for the Beavers.

Over 4.1 innings, Savary allowed four runs on four hits, including five strikeouts to four walks. He threw 46 of his 80 (57.5%) pitches for strikes, with three of the four runs allowed stemming from free bases.

Oregon State gets a stellar start from freshman Dax Whitney

True freshman right-hander Dax Whitney came into Saturday’s start with stuff that the Iowa coaching staff knew was some of the best they’d seen. The 2024 Idaho Pitcher of the Year had dealt with some control issues but was averaging 13.1 strikeouts per nine innings. He was phenomenal for the Beavers and shut down the Hawkeye offense over six innings.

“Whitney was really good today and we knew the potential for that was there,” said Heller. “His zone rate was under 50% for most of his pitches, but that was not the case today. He was lights out.”

Whitney was unhittable early, retiring the first nine batters he faced, including striking out the side in the third inning. The Hawkeyes got on the board with an RBI single from Caleb Wulf in the sixth inning, but Dax held the Iowa offense to 1/7 hitting with runners on base.

“The disappointing thing, from my point of view, was that he did it with primarily fastballs. If he was on, we were going to have to be on his fastball and unfortunately, he dominated our hitters with the fastball.”

Over 6.0 innings, Whitney allowed one run on three hits, including a career-high 11 strikeouts to just two walks. He threw 58 of his 92 (63.0%) pitches for strikes.

Hawkeyes can’t cash in on their limited opportunities

The opportunities were few and far between for the Hawkeyes, but they weren’t able to break through for a big inning. They finished the game 3/14 (.214) with runners on base and 1/8 (.125) with runners in scoring position, including six strikeouts.

“We had opportunities, not a lot, but we did. We had at least three (chances) with two runners on two outs, need to get a hit. We just didn’t get the hit,” said Heller.

The Hawkeyes best opportunity at a comeback came in the eighth inning against reliever Nelson Keljo. A leadoff single from Miles Risley was followed by a one out single from Gable Mitchell, with Mitchell advancing to second base on the throw to third. With two in scoring position and just one out, Keljo struck out pinch-hitter Mitch Wood and got Caleb Wulf out groundout, ending the threat.

What’s next for Rick Heller and Co?

The Hawkeyes will look to stave off Oregon State’s bid at a sweep on Sunday afternoon at Principal Park. It will be Ben DeTaeye on the mound for Iowa, while it will be Ethan Kleinschmit for the Beavers. First pitch is set for 12:05pm CT on BTN+.