Hawkeyes hold off Seton Hall for a season-opening victory

After months of anticipation and preseason conversation, the 20th-ranked Iowa Baseball team finally put all the talk aside and took to the diamond for the season-opener on Friday afternoon. The Hawkeyes used a three-run 4th inning to pave the way for a 5-2 win over Seton Hall in the Swig & Swine Classic at Shipyard Park in Charleston, SC.

“It was a solid win against a good Seton Hall team…We played great defense tonight,” said Rick Heller. “It will be a quick turnaround for tomorrow and we will face another good team in Ball State. We need to be a lot better on offense as a team and hopefully cut the walks down on the mound.”

Sam Petersen was one of the players on the Hawkeyes that has received a good bit of recognition, as a preseason All-Big Ten selection. He wasted no time putting Iowa in front on the scoreboard. Batting second in the lineup, Petersen smoked a solo home run into the Wando River on the first pitch he saw to make it 1-0 in the top of the first inning.

On the mound, there was plenty of excitement for Brody Brecht’s season-opening start. He struck out three batters in the first two innings, but four walks and a hit forced him to work with some traffic on the bases. An RBI 6-4 fielder’s choice from Devin Hack drove in a run to tie the game 1-1 in the second inning.

Brody settled in after that and struck out the next eight batters he faced to get him into the fifth inning. A hit by pitch and two walks loaded the bases, with one out, which meant the end of the day for Brecht. He allowed one run on one hit over 4.1 innings, including 11 strikeouts and six walks. Jack Whitlock came in from the bullpen and struck out back-to-back Pirate hitters to get out of the jam.

Back on the offensive side, the Hawkeyes were able to put some breathing room between them and Seton Hall. Sam Petersen led off the third inning with a double down the line and scored on a Raider Tello RBI single. Those two ended up doing the majority of the damage on the day.

In the fourth inning, Iowa showed what they can do with the speed and small ball abilities in their lineup. Andy Nelson reached base via a one out walk and prompted stole two bases to put himself 90 feet from home. Gable Mitchell laid down a bunt to drive in Nelson and extend the lead to 3-1. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded, Raider Tello stepped up again. He delivered a two-run single into left field to make it 5-1 Iowa.

Out of the bullpen, Jack Whitlock went 3.2 innings, allowing one run on three hits. An RBI single from Kyle Lyons in the sixth inning cut the lead to 5-2, but the Hawkeyes went into the ninth inning with the same three-run advantage.

Indian Hills transfer Sam Hart came on to try to close things out, however, a double and two walks put Seton Hall in a bases loaded situation with just one out. Rick Heller opted to go with Zach Voelker in his new closer role and he locked things down with back-to-back strikeouts to end the game.

“Brody Brecht was off a little in his first two innings but worked out of it. Once he settled in, he fanned eight in a row. Jack Whitlock came in with the bases loaded in the fifth and pitched great for us. Zach Voelker faced the same scenario in the ninth with the tying run at first base with one out. He was great punching out the next two hitters to secure the win.”

Sam Petersen and Raider Tello combined for six hits and four RBI’s, while Utah transfer Davis Cop earned his first career hit in an Iowa uniform. The Hawkeyes are now 4-0 all-time at the Swig & Swine Classic.

“Sam Petersen had a great game both with the bat and on the bases,” said Heller. “He gave us a quick lead. Raider Tello had some big at bats driving in those three runs on three hits, and his other two balls were hit hard.”

Up Next, the Hawkeyes will face a tough Ball State Cardinals team, that made the NCAA Tournament last season. Marcus Morgan will take the mound for Iowa, while it will be Logan Schulfer for Ball State. First pitch is set for 11:00am CT and the game will be streamed on HiCast Sports Network.