Iowa baseball head coach Rick Heller and catcher Max Burt discuss Burt's sophomore breakout and recent hot streak at the plate during a postgame interview at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City on Friday, May 1. (Ethan Petrik/Globe-Gazette)
OMAHA — The No. 8 seed Iowa baseball team dropped a 4-3 decision to No. 12 seed Michigan State in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday.
The Hawkeyes (33-22, 15-15 Big Ten) took a 3-2 sixth-inning lead, but surrendered a game-tying run in the seventh and the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth.
Head coach Rick Heller spoke critically of his team's offensive and defensive performance following the loss.
“There were just so many things we didn’t do well tonight, both on offense and defense,” Heller said. “That’s the disappointing thing. We were very fortunate the game wasn’t 10-3. But what do you do? You regroup, go play tomorrow and hopefully we can clean it up.”
Ben Swails led Iowa with a 3-of-4 day at the plate with two runs scored. Gable Mitchell, Jaixen Frost and Miles Risley recorded RBI for the Hawkeyes.
Joe Husak pitched one inning, allowing two hits and one run before exiting the game in the second inning. Justin Hackett pitched 2.1 innings and surrendered one run. Kyle Alivo ate up the final 5.2 innings, allowing five hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out seven.
Iowa committed two errors in the game.
The Hawkeyes will face No. 5 seed Purdue (36-19, 18-12 Big Ten) in an elimination game on Thursday at 2 p.m. Iowa swept the Boilermakers in a three-game series at Principal Park in Des Moines in the final weekend of the regular season with wins of 10-7, 14-5 and 15-9.
Broadcast coverage of the game will be provided by Big Ten Network and the Hawkeye Radio Network.
