Hawkeyes Battle Hard but Fall to No. 10 Oregon State, 9-6
DES MOINES, Iowa – In a spirited match at Principal Park, the University of Iowa baseball team faced a challenging contest against the No. 10 Oregon State Beavers, ultimately succumbing 9-6 on Friday night.
The Hawkeyes, hitting at a .270 average with nine hits, left nine runners stranded on base. Despite being behind early, head coach Rick Heller praised his team’s resilient offense. “We fought back after Oregon State scored early," Heller noted, emphasizing the team’s determination.
Oregon State (36-12) got off to a strong start, scoring two unearned runs in the third and adding four more in the fourth. The Hawkeyes (32-16, 21-6) responded with a burst of energy in the fourth inning, scoring three runs—Caleb Wulf drove in one, while Miles Risley added two more. Iowa narrowed the gap to 6-5 in the fifth after Ben Wilmes’s double led to a run from Reese Moore. The game was tied at six in the seventh when Gable Mitchell launched a two-run homer over the right field wall.
However, the Beavers retaliated swiftly, regaining the lead in the eighth with three runs due to a single and a critical error. LHP Cade Obermueller started strong but struggled after a series of errors, leading to an early bullpen call. Although RHP Sam Hart gave up three runs, Justin Hackett excelled, striking out seven over three innings without allowing a hit.
"We can’t afford pitcher errors against a team like Oregon State," Heller pointed out, attributing the loss partly to three costly mistakes on the mound.
The Hawkeyes will look to rebound as they face Oregon State again on Saturday at 3:35 p.m. (CDT), with RHP Aaron Savary set to start for Iowa.
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