Iowa Baseball defeats Milwaukee 5-4; heads to Columbus for weekend series vs. Ohio State

Iowa Baseball notched another line into the Win column on Wednesday night with a 5-4 walk-off victory over the visiting Milwaukee Panthers at Duane Banks Field in a game that went 12 innings over the course of 4 hours and 17 minutes.

It was junior outfielder Justin Jenkins who secured Iowa’s walk-off win (its fourth of the season) thanks to a solo home run on a 2-2 count into right field. Jenkins didn’t even start the game. He entered in the 8th inning as a defensive replacement(!).

“The Banks has magic,” Jenkins told HawkeyeSports. ”Everybody on our team believes it. Everybody in the stands believes it. Everybody in the state believes it.”

And honestly, after a hit like that, how can you not?

In what was Iowa’s longest game of the season, the Hawkeyes went through 10 pitchers. Starting pitcher Duncan Davitt allowed three runs on five hits in the first two innings before settling in. Iowa trailed 3-2 after those first two innings, but managed to tie the game in the seventh thanks to a Ben Norman RBI.

Before the walk-off magic, both teams traded runs in the 11th inning on RBI singles. Shane Ritter came in to pitch in relief in the 12th and earned the win for the Hawkeyes. For Iowa, this was somehow the 13th comeback win of the season. Do with that information what you will, but hey, a win is a win, and this was a special one for the Hawkeyes.

Now onto this weekend, as the Hawkeyes look for their fourth consecutive series win. This time, they’ll travel to Columbus, OH for a three game series against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Schedule below.

Friday first pitch: 5:35 p.m. CT

Pitchers:
RHP Cole McDonald (3-3, 3.86 ERA) vs. RHP Garrett Burhenn (5-2, 4.21 ERA)

Saturday first pitch: 2:05 p.m. CT

Pitchers:
LHP Cam Baumann (3-2, 5.11 ERA) vs. LHP Seth Lonsway (5-3, 4.83 ERA)

Sunday first pitch: 11:05 a.m.

Pitchers:
LHP Cam Baumann (3-2, 5.11 ERA) vs. LHP Seth Lonsway (5-3, 4.83 ERA)

Previewing the Buckeyes

The Buckeyes are 23-18 overall with a 6-6 conference record, and are 7-3 in their last 10 games, thanks to series wins against Maryland and No. 24 Michigan. Ohio State knows how to hit, with one of the leading offenses in the Big Ten. Seven Buckeyes have a .284 batting average or better, and are lead by junior Dominic Canzone, whose .375 batting average leads the conference.

But Ohio State struggles on the mound. The pitchers collectively have a 4.86 ERA, the fourth worth is the conference. Iowa’s hot bats should hopefully be able to take advantage of this pitching staff and at least be able to keep up if the Buckeye offense continues their own hot streak. Look out in particular for Tanner Wetrich, who has aveaged .400 over the last 11 games, tallying a hit in each. He’s sure to be joined by Chris Whelan, who is averaging .391 since returning to the leadoff spot in the lineup earlier this month, and Jenkins, along with Norman, who round out Iowa’s well-performing offense.

This should be a fun series!

How to watch

All three games will only be shown on BTNPlus. But, you can also listen on the Hawkeye Radio Network when available.

Go Hawks!