DES MOINES – The Iowa Hawkeyes turned downtown Des Moines into a temporary home ballpark and made the most of it, sweeping the Purdue Boilermakers in a three-game baseball series at Principal Park.
Iowa won all three games of the series, beating Purdue 10-7 in the opener, 14-5 in the second game and 15-9 in the finale. The Hawkeyes finished the series with 39 runs and 51 hits, both major offensive marks under head coach Rick Heller.
The series was played at Principal Park, home of the Iowa Cubs, giving the Hawkeyes a high-profile downtown Des Moines stage for their final regular-season push before the Big Ten Tournament.
In the opener, Purdue jumped out to a 5-0 lead after scoring in the first inning and adding four more runs in the second. Iowa answered by scoring in four straight innings, including a five-run fourth that flipped the game.
Ben Swails singled in Jaxien Frost in the second inning, and Caleb Wulf doubled home Miles Risley in the third. In the fourth, Kellen Strohmeyer doubled in Frost before Joey Nerat and Kooper Schulte hit back-to-back home runs. Risley added a sacrifice fly to give Iowa a 7-6 lead.
Nerat struck again in the fifth inning with his second home run of the game, a three-run shot that pushed Iowa’s lead to 10-6. Purdue added a run in the seventh, but Iowa held on for the 10-7 win.
“They jumped on us early, and you can see why they are who they are because they can really swing it,” Heller said. “Hackett came in to calm things down, and Kyle pitched really well to close the game out. We had some guys step up and have big nights offensively as well, with Joey breaking out for a couple of home runs. It was good to see the guys respond and fight back.”
Justin Hackett earned the win in relief, while Kyle Alivo delivered five strong innings, allowing just four hits and striking out a career-high nine batters.
Iowa clinched the series with a 14-5 win in the second game. Purdue again built an early lead, scoring four runs in the third inning and another in the fifth. The Hawkeyes gradually chipped away before taking control late.
Gable Mitchell drove in Iowa’s first run in the third inning, and Matthew Delgado singled home Mitch Wood in the fourth. Iowa then scored four runs in the sixth inning to take a 6-5 lead. Wulf singled in Risley, Frost doubled in Wulf and Wood, and Swails scored Frost to put the Hawkeyes ahead.
The eighth inning turned the game into a rout. Iowa scored eight runs in the frame, with Strohmeyer bunting in Nerat, Risley doubling in Strohmeyer and Schulte, Wulf singling in Mitchell and Risley, Wood singling in Wulf, and Frost capping the inning with a home run that also scored Brett White.
Jaron Bleeker was a major factor on the mound, throwing five scoreless innings with three strikeouts after Tyler Guerin and Cole Moore worked the early innings.
“The key to that game was Jarron Bleeker coming in to minimize them and give us a chance to come back,” Heller said. “Then he went on to pitch really well tonight. I’m really happy with how Bleek has progressed this season and the confidence he’s gained. He’s pitched really well.”
The Hawkeyes completed the sweep Saturday afternoon with a 15-9 win, again using a mix of power hitting and steady relief work.
Purdue scored first in the top of the first, but Iowa answered immediately when Wulf doubled in Risley. The Hawkeyes then took control with a big inning that included a double by Nerat and a grand slam by Risley.
Risley later hit his second home run of the game, finishing the regular season with eight homers. Swails also homered in the eighth inning, while Nerat continued his strong series with multiple run-scoring hits.
Logan Runde gave Iowa five important innings in relief, striking out three, while Brolan Frost earned the win after throwing 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
“We minimized the give early,” Heller said. “Logan Runde came in and gave us a big five innings. He is exactly what we needed, somebody to slow the game down and give us some real innings. The double plays were big for us this weekend, which were great to see. On the bats, the guys were disciplined and patient and hit when they got them.”
The sweep gave Iowa momentum heading into postseason play. The Hawkeyes scored a season-high 39 runs in the series, surpassing their previous series best of 31. Their 51 hits marked the most in a series under Heller.
Iowa now heads to the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 8 seed and will face No. 9 seed Illinois on Tuesday.