The Hawkeyes let the game get away from them in the seventh inning.
Few expected Iowa baseball to walk into raucous Haymarket Park and take a series from No. 25 Nebraska, but the Hawkeyes instead did the opposite - get swept.
The final two games of this three-game set were competitive, but Iowa couldn't get it done in the clutch. The Hawkeyes now sit at 29-21 overall and 12-15 in Big Ten play and still have some work to do to secure a Big Ten tournament spot.
Here are three observations from Iowa's 8-6 loss in Sunday's series finale:
Hawkeyes Strike Quickly
Iowa needed a strong start in the worst possible way after suffering a pair of demoralizing losses to open the weekend, and it got just that. Senior shortstop Kooper Schulte, who was inserted into the leadoff spot 33 games into the season, crushed the second pitch he saw into the left center field bleachers to give the Hawkeyes an early boost.
The always-patient Gable Mitchell then smacked a double to give Iowa another chance, and his longtime friend Caleb Wulf made the Huskers pay with an RBI single to increase the Hawkeyes' lead to 2-0.
Nebraska wouldn't take long to tie and ultimately snatch the momentum back in its favor, but scoring runs early will be crucial for Iowa if it wants to have any chance at a postseason run.
Runde Struggles
After allowing 25 runs in the first two games of this series, head coach Rick Heller turned to FIU transfer Logan Runde to stem the tide and salvage the series. Runde (5.44 ERA) has had an up-and-down season, but his outing on this day was anything but up.
Iowa put up a two spot in the first to give Runde immediate run support, but Runde didn't hold the lead for very long, surrendering three runs (and the lead) in only 1.2 innings of work.
Missed Opportunities in the Seventh
Despite more struggles on the mound, the resilient Hawkeyes again came all the way back to tie the game at 5 with a three-run fifth.
That score held until the seventh inning, where it looked like Iowa was poised to reclaim the lead after it put runners at second and third with nobody out. Instead of a Hawkeye lead, the tables turned in brutal fashion.
The next three Iowa batters struck out, which proved to be very costly. The Hawkeyes had a chance to get out of the seventh, but third baseman Jaixen Frost booted a grounder at third to give the Huskers new life.
Frost's error led to three Nebraska runs, which proved to be the difference in the game.
Up Next
Iowa returns to action next weekend for its final series of the regular season. The Hawkeyes will take on Purdue in a three-game set at Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa from May 14-16.
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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io