Iowa pitcher Brody Brecht (front) and his Hawkeye teammates line up for the national anthem before game against Purdue on May 6, 2022 at Banks Field in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)
Iowa Baseball Tops Purdue in Weekend Series
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Sophomore Ty Langenberg allowed one run over seven innings and the Hawkeyes’ offense erupted for nine runs to lead Iowa baseball team to a 9-1 series-clinching victory over Purdue on Mother’s Day Sunday at Duane Banks Field.
The win gives the Hawkeyes their fourth straight series win and their sixth in seven weekends. Iowa is 28-16 overall, 12-6 in Big Ten play with two weeks remaining in the regular season.
Iowa took the series opener Friday night, winning a 5-2 decision. The Boilermakers captured a 10-6 win on Saturday.
In a career-long outing, Langenberg (5-1) scattered five hits and fanned seven while only issuing one walk to notch his fifth victory of the season. The right-hander didn’t allow a run over the first 6 2/3 innings before giving up a solo home run with two outs in the seventh.
Iowa finished with 12 strikeouts in the game to move the season total to 507 to set a single-season record. The previous mark was 499 set in 2018.
“We gave a mature, professional effort today,” said head coach Rick Heller. “After a tough day yesterday, we came out with a lot of energy. We were really dialed in against a good team and we needed a good start. Ty Langenberg delivered with that; he was solid today.”
Iowa’s offense got going in the first inning against Purdue starter Logan Danzeisen. The right-hander plunked Peyton Williams with one out before serving up a two-run home run to Keaton Anthony. The Georgia native belted a 2-2 pitch 442-feet deep over the Sharp Family Video Board in left field to give the Hawkeyes a 2-0 lead.
“I am feeling pretty good up there,” said Anthony. “I saw a slider 1-0 and was not expecting that. He hung it a little, so I felt it was a pitch I should have ambushed. He came back with fastballs and I fouled them off.
“On 2-2, he threw fast ball and I fouled it off, I was on that one. I was expecting, when he shook, I thought he was shaking to slider, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss it. It was a nice day to hit today with the wind blowing out to left field.”
Iowa doubled its lead in the third with a two-out rally. Anthony walked and Izaya Fullard was hit by a Troy Wansing pitch with two outs. Redshirt junior Brendan Sher followed with a two-run double into the left center field gap, stretching the lead to 4-0.
The Hawkeyes broke the game open in the fifth, pushing five runs across the plate. After loading the bases, Sher drew a one-out walk to make the score 5-0 and Williams scored on a wild pitch. With the infield drawn in, freshman Ben Wilmes hit a hard grounder up the middle to make it 8-0 and sophomore Cade Moss’ single to right center pushed the advantage to 9-0.
Purdue scored six runs in the first four innings and added four runs late to post a 10-6 series-tying victory Saturday.
The Boilermakers scored two runs on three hits in the second and added a single run in the third to knock Iowa starter Connor Schultz from the contest. Purdue doubled its lead with a Paul Toetz solo home run and a two-run single from CJ Valdez in the fourth against reliever Dylan Nedved.
The Hawkeyes’ offense came to life in the fifth when Brett McCleary and Kyle Huckstorf had one-out singles. Iowa got on the scoreboard on a Michael Seegers ground out before redshirt freshman Keaton Anthony hit a 404-foot blast over the scoreboard in left field to cut the deficit to 6-4.
The momentum was trending in Iowa’s favor when Izaya Fullard singled and Brendan Sher doubled to start the sixth, but Purdue reliever Khal Stephen followed with three straight backward Ks to end the Iowa threat.
Schultz (2-2) suffered the loss, allowing three runs on five hits over 2 2/3 innings. Purdue’s Wyatt Wendell earned the win, allowing four runs on seven hits over five innings.
Redshirt sophomore Adam Mazur flirted with his second straight complete game shutout and Iowa's offense put up a five spot in the third inning en route to a 5-2 series-opening victory Friday.
Mazur tossed 8 2/3 shutout innings before giving up two runs with two outs in the top of the ninth. The right-hander retired 11 straight Boilermakers from the third through the sixth innings before surrendering a leadoff single in the seventh.
“I was pitching into the zone and letting them hit it,” said Mazur, who improved to 6-2 this season. “I know I have a lot of good help behind me.”
In the ninth, Purdue’s Evan Albrecht doubled down the right field line to leadoff the inning and CJ Valdez followed with a walk – Mazur’s only base on ball in the game. After getting two outs via a fly out and ground out, Troy Viola singled up the middle to plate to end Mazur’s string of 24 2/3 scoreless innings and day.
Mazur’s final line was 8 2/3 innings, scattering five hits with three strikeouts to one walk on 96 pitches. Redshirt senior Ben Beutel struck out Tyler Powers looking to earn his third save.
“I was happy to have some quick innings, go long in the game and give our team a shot to win,” said Mazur. “My mentality every time out there is to keep the team in the game and to go more innings than the opposing pitcher.”
Iowa’s offense scored five runs – all in the third inning – and finished with 10 hits in the game.
The Hawkeyes sent nine batters to the plate in the third against Purdue starter CJ Backer. The one-out rally started with a Michael Seegers single and a Peyton Williams double to right center.
Redshirt freshman Keaton Anthony gave Iowa the lead with an RBI single to left field and following a Will Mulflur walk, redshirt senior Izaya Fullard singled to right field for his second hit of the game. Redshirt junior Brendan Sher’s RBI ground out made it 3-0 and freshman Ben Wilmes chopped a grounder through the left side for the final two RBIs.
Seven different Hawkeyes tallied a hit with Fullard leading the way with a 3-for-4 day with one RBI.