By ADAM HENSLEY | [email protected]

Having only lost one game at Banks Field this season, Iowa (20-11) added to its winning ways at home against Western Illinois (9-21) on Tuesday. The Hawkeyes took down the Leatherbacks, 4-1, to stay undefeated in midweek matchups this season.

Iowa needed something, anything, to bounce back after dropping two out of three games against sup-.500 Northwestern.

“I think this weekend was definitely a heartbreaker for us, dropping those two games,” Austin Guzzo said. “This game was huge for us.”
Iowa failed to score in consecutive innings; instead, the Hawkeyes spread out their 4 runs through three innings.

The Hawkeyes struck first in the second inning after they left two runners on to end the first.

Guzzo recorded his first hit of the game in the second inning. The junior singled to left field and eventually scored on Mitchell Boe’s sacrifice fly.

Western Illinois pitcher Jimmy Perkins hit Ben Norman, Iowa’s leadoff man twice.

The second time came in the fourth inning. Norman then stole second and eventually made his way to third after Perkins walked Cropley.

Guzzo singled to left field and advanced to second on the throw. Meanwhile, Cropley advanced to third and Norman scored.

Matt Hoeg followed up the score with a deep sacrifice fly to right field. Cropley scored.

Cropley scored again in the sixth. After a double, he advanced to third when Guzzo grounded out. Another ground out from Hoeg drove in the catcher and putting Iowa up by 3.

“It was really good to get the week started off the right way,” head coach Rick Heller said. “I felt like the guys came to the park today with good attitude, good energy. It wasn’t a great game for us offensively but just enough to get it done.”

The Leatherbacks broke through in the fifth inning, keeping things close midway through the game.

Connecting on 4 hits, Western Illinois scored its first run of the game. The last hit ended the inning, however, as Robert Neustrom launched a throw from right field to home plate. Sitting in perfect position, Cropley tagged out Roman Visintine, who had taken off for home.

Elijah Wood made his first career start — and recorded his first win — for the Hawkeyes on the mound. The Washington native pitched the game’s first three shutout innings, giving up 2 hits but recording 2 strikeouts.

He found out about an hour before the game that he had received the starting nod.

“Right when I found out, I just prepared mentally and did everything like I needed to before,” Wood said.

Entering Tuesday’s game, Wood had allowed 5 runs and sturck out 6 in his 12.2 innings pitched. He also allowed 15 hits.

Heller credited his team’s solid defensive effort to a “great start” from Wood.

Grant Judkins, who had started in four of Iowa’s six midweek games, came in to relieve Wood in the fourth inning.

The Leatherbacks scored 1 run on 4 hits in Judkins’ two innings.

On Friday, the Hawkeyes will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, for a three-game weekend series against their border rival. Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.