In Thursday’s opening game of a pivotal three-game series vs. No. 7 Oregon (39-13, 20-8 Big Ten) from Duane Banks Field, Iowa baseball (32-18-1, 20-7) suffered a crushing 10-0 run-rule loss to the Ducks in seven innings.
The shutout is the first time the Hawkeyes have been held scoreless since losing to Maryland, 4-0, on May 28, 2023.
“It wasn’t like we played poorly,” said head coach Rick Heller. “We had good energy. We were locked in. We hadn’t had a game like that all season long where a team comes out and just beats you. These guys have hung in there and always given themselves a chance to win. If you were in the dugout, you would’ve felt in the seventh that we still had a chance to win.”
Cade Obermueller started on the hill for the Hawkeyes and was tagged with the loss. The junior left-hander gave up eight runs on eight hits, walked three batters, and struck out eight in five innings.
While Obermueller was roughed up in the third frame, he did record his 100th strikeout of the season in the first inning, becoming the fifth Hawkeye in program history to accomplish the feat in a single season.
Ks on the season for the lefty out of Iowa City @CadeObermueller is the fifth Hawkeye in program history to record at least 100 strikeouts in a single season #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/ROcTVfazRv
“Cade didn’t have his best fastball tonight. He didn’t have his best slider tonight. He went out and competed for us, and unfortunately, we ran into a team that is seeing it well and hitting the ball,” said Heller. “You just tip your hat. They swung it well tonight.”
Bryson Walker came out of the bullpen in relief of Obermueller, where he gave up two runs on three hits and struck out a career-high five batters.
“We weren’t great on the mound, but we competed,” said Heller. “I feel like we can walk out of here and hold our heads up that we just got beat and wipe it away with a short memory. You come out tomorrow and give the same kind of effort, the same kind of focus, and I think we’ll be in a lot better shape.”
Final (7) | #5 Oregon 10, Iowa 0#Hawkeyes
In terms of the offense, Iowa struggled mightily at the plate, finishing with two hits and five base runners through the entire game. Meanwhile, Oregon’s production was powered by the long ball as the Ducks blasted four home runs, including a fourth inning Grand Slam and two seventh inning homers en route to a dominant victory.
“The first inning when we had two guys on, we needed someone to step up and get a hit, and we didn’t,” said Heller. “After that, [Grayson Grinsell] was pretty tough on us. The key is that we went 3-2 seven times, and we lost all seven. That’s kind of our superpower, is winning 3-2 counts, finding ways to extend innings, getting the pitch count up and getting on base, and he beat us in all seven tonight.”
Fortunately for Iowa (and Oregon), Northwestern defeated UCLA by a score of 9-4 in the opening game of their three-game series from Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The Bruins’ loss helps both Iowa and Oregon as the Hawkeyes maintain their one-game advantage atop the Big Ten and the Ducks move into a second-place tie with UCLA.
Game 2 between the Hawkeyes and Ducks will start at 6:02 p.m. CT from Duane Banks Field and be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. Fans can also listen to the action through the Hawkeyes Radio Network alongside play-by-play voice John Leo and color analyst John Evans.
Aaron Savary (7-1, 3.66 ERA) is scheduled to be on the mound for Iowa as the Hawkeyes once again attempt to take one step closer towards clinching a conference regular season title.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa baseball drops Game 1 vs. Oregon in seven-inning run rule loss
Reporting by Scout Springgate, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
