Hawkeyes overpower Illinois, force a Sunday rubber match
Ben Wilmes sent the Illinois faithful packing a few minutes early. They were sticking around hoping to see their Illini make a comeback in the final inning, but a grand slam off the bat of Wilmes in the top of the ninth put the finishing touches on a 10-4 win for the Hawkeyes. His 400 foot blast bounced into the grassy parking lot beyond the left field wall and moments later the ball was not alone, as many fans quickly headed to their cars. After dropping the series opener on Friday night, Rick Heller and Co. bounced back with a win, setting up a decisive series finale on Sunday afternoon.
On the mound for the Hawkeyes, Brody Brecht put together his fourth straight quality start. He got help from his offense, but the Illini had a hard time putting traffic on the bases for the majority of the afternoon. Through five innings, Brecht had allowed just three batters to reach base, while he had racked up seven strikeouts. His strikeout of Ryan Moerman in the second inning put him past former Hawkeye pitcher Jim Magrane for the most strikeouts in a single season in program history (111).
At the plate, the Iowa offense got off to a start the very much resembled what Illinois was able to do in the series opener. Starter Jake Swartz retired the first two Hawkeyes hitters of the game, but Davis Cop got ahold of him for a solo home run to make it 1-0 Iowa. In the second, Will Mulflur got the traffic started with a double and scored on an Andy Nelson RBI single to make it two runs in two innings.
The home run fun continued in the third inning off of the Illinois starter. Reese Moore launched a sky-high two-run home run to right field. Gable Mitchell followed with a solo shot on the very next pitch and the Hawkeyes were all of the sudden up 5-0. Jake Swartz allowed five runs on six hits over 3.0 innings.
Illinois went to the bullpen with reliever Will Lavin, but Iowa scratched across another run in the fourth inning. Davis Cop pulled an RBI single through the left side of the infield to extend the lead to 6-0. Despite the early offensive success, the Illini bullpen was able to put up four straight zeros on the scoreboard. That gave them a chance to fight back into the game. Brody Brecht allowed just six runners to reach base, but three of them were in the sixth inning.
Leadoff hitter Cal Hejza drew a one out walk, while Drake Westcott singled to put runners on the corners with two outs. Brecht worked out of a jam in the third inning, but Vytas Valincius made sure he didn’t let him off the hook in the sixth. Valincius hit his ninth home run on the season, a three-run shot to left to cut the Hawkeyes lead in half. Brody Brecht answered with a three up, three down inning in the seventh to close out his outing. He allowed three runs on three hits over 7.0 innings, including nine strikeouts to three walks.
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Rick Heller went with Jack Young out of the bullpen in the eighth inning, but Illinois got a step closer off the bat of Connor Milton. The nine hitter in the lineup drove a solo home run over the right field wall to make it 6-4. Young later faced two on and just one out, but retired Vytas Valincius and Ryan Moerman, keeping the lead intact.
In the top of the ninth, the Hawkeyes were in need of some insurance runs. With reliever Korey Bunselmeyer on the mound, Iowa got what they needed. They loaded the bases with one out and Ben Wilmes delivered the knockout blow, sending Bunselmeyer’s 1-0 offering over the left field wall for a grand slam. Jack Young retired the side in the ninth to close out the 10-4 win.
Six Iowa hitters finished the day with multiple hits, while Andy Nelson led the way with three of them. It’s his third multi-hit game in the last four contests. Davis Cop extended his on-base streak to 11 games, with a pair of hits. Four home runs by the Hawkeyes is their most in a game since they hit six in their 20-1 win over Jacksonville State on March 9th.
Up Next, the Hawkeyes will close out their Big Ten slate with a rubber match against Illinois on Sunday afternoon. Neither team has announced a starting pitcher. First pitch is set for 3:00pm CT on the Big Ten Network.
