PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Senior pitcher Matt Dermody allowed two runs and struck out six batters over eight innings to lead the University of Iowa baseball team past Georgetown, 7-2, on Saturday at the Snowbird Classic.
“Matt was dominant today,” said UI head coach Jack Dahm. “He threw the ball very well. He threw hard, located, and threw his secondary stuff for strikes. He worked through a couple of situations and we made a couple big defensive plays behind him. Matt was very impressive today.”
Dermody held Georgetown scoreless over the first seven innings. Dermody worked out of jams in the fourth and fifth innings, as Georgetown placed a runner on third base in both frames. The Norwalk, Iowa, improved to 3-0, becoming the first Big Ten pitcher to reach the three win plateau.
The Hawkeyes (6-6) gave Dermody plenty of run support, scoring seven runs on nine hits. SophomoresKris Goodman, Jake Mangler, and Jake Yacinich accounted for seven of the nine hits and drove in four of the seven runs. Goodman went 3-of-4 with an RBI, posting his fourth three-hit performance of the season, Mangler went 2-of-5 with an RBI to extend his hitting streak to five games, and Yacinich went 2-of-3 with two RBIs, his sixth multi-hit game this year.
Iowa broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth by putting five two-out runs on the board. JuniorTaylor Zuetenhorst drove in the Hawkeyes first two runs, hitting a single that plated sophomore Taylor Kaufman and junior Keith Brand. Iowa would then score runs in its next three at-bats, as Goodman, Mangler, and Yacinich notched three consecutive RBI singles.
“We didn’t hit any balls really hard in the fourth, but we put the ball in play and had a very good approach,” Dahm said.
The Hawkeyes stretched their advantage to 7-0 in the seventh inning after Yacinich and Brand drove in runs. Yacinich delivered his second RBI by singling through the right side to score Goodman. It was his team-best 10th RBI of the season. Brand plated Mangler after grounding out to second base.
Georgetown (7-6) tallied its only two runs in the top half of the eighth inning, scoring via a Danny Poplawski RBI single and a Christian Vendetti sacrifice fly.
Sophomore Nick Hibbing replaced Dermody in the ninth inning. Hibbing tossed a perfect frame, striking out one batter.
The Hawkeyes conclude play at the Snowbird Classic tomorrow at 10 a.m. (CT) against West Virginia.
“The mentally tough teams come out and play good on Sunday and find a way to win,” said Dahm. “West Virginia is a talented team that has been playing well. It’s going to be a great challenge for us and I’m looking forward to seeing how we respond.”
