Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Fall to Hawkeyes, 4-3
5/6/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 6, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - In the second of its four-game series against Iowa, the Indiana baseball team lost its 12th one-run contest of the season, 4-3, at Sembower Field on May 6. The defeat dropped the Hoosiers to 17-27 (7-15 Big Ten), while the Hawkeyes moved to 20-25 (9-13 Big Ten).
Iowa hedged into the lead in the first when catcher Dusty Napoleon blooped a two-out double in-between senior left fielder Jay Brant and senior center fielder Reggie Watson for a 2-0 advantage.
IU evened things up in the second with a pair of unearned runs. After loading the bases with one out, Hawkeye starter Jeff Maitland recorded a strikeout before junior pinch-hitter Michael Nilles hit a dribbler down the third-base line. Third baseman Kody McManis elected to let the ball go by him in hopes of it going foul, but it stayed fair and rolled past the bag. With no one backing up the play, senior first baseman Ryan Parker and junior shortstop Josh Richardson hustled in to tie it at 2-2.
In the third, Indiana gained a 3-2 edge when junior designated hitter Ben Greenspan launched his second career home run over the left-field fence.
However, the lead was short-lived as right fielder Jeff Engel doubled home Napoleon to retie the contest the next half inning at 3-3.
The ballgame remained even until the sixth, where the Hawkeyes netted an unearned run to claim a 3-2 lead. Freshman right fielder Chris Hervey kept Iowa from getting a chance to add more, gunning down Engel with a perfect throw to Nilles at third after a flyout by McManis.
Following Greenspan's long ball, Maitland set down 10 of the last 11 batters he faced, and southpaw Tim Gudex pitched a 1-2-3 seventh for his second save in as many days and his league-leading eighth of the season.
Maitland (5-2) allowed one earned run on five hits with no walks and five punchouts. Meanwhile, Hoosier starter Josh Lewis (4-6) suffered the loss, going the distance for the second time this year and the seventh time in his career. The Mt. Airy, Md., product surrendered three earned and matched a season high with seven strikeouts.
Offensively, Nilles finished 1-for-2 with two RBI, while Greenspan added a 1-for-3 afternoon with one RBI and one run. Parker (1 run), Richardson (1 run) and sophomore Tyler Cox each went 1-for-3.
Game Notes
-Freshman right fielder Trevor McConnell received the first start of his career and led off for the Hoosiers.
-After walking in the 10 a.m. graduation ceremony, catcher Bobby Segal arrived to the park and relieved freshman catcher Billy O'Conner in the third inning. O'Conner left the game after taking a foul ball off his non-catching hand in the first.
