IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa baseball team scored 11 runs in the first three innings en route to a 12-4 victory over Milwaukee on Wednesday night at Duane Banks Field.
The victory moves the Hawkeyes' record to 24-13 overall.
The Panthers struck first, pushing two runs across the plate in the first. Ben Chally had a two-out RBI as part of Milwaukee's five-hit first inning and Colin Kreiter's base made the score 2-0.
Iowa tied the game in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI ground out by Robert Neustrom and an infield single by Lorenzo Elion. The Hawkeyes took the outright lead in the second after loading the bases with two walks and two hit-by-pitches. Junior Tanner Wetrich scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.
The Hawkeyes broke the game open in the third, sending 12 batters to the plate in an eight-run inning. Iowa benefited from four Milwaukee errors in the inning and the Hawkeyes got a two-run double from Wetrich along with RBIs from Jenkins, Cropley, and Elion.
Iowa scored its final run in the fourth when Wetrich led off the inning with a base hit to left field before scoring on Jenkins' RBI single, making the score 12-2.
The Hawkeyes held Milwaukee scoreless until the ninth when the Panthers plated two unearned runs against reliever Grant Leonard. Trevor Schwecke hit a two-run home run to left field with two outs, capitalizing on an Iowa fielding error.
Iowa used six pitchers in the game with freshmen Trenton Wallace, Jack Dreyer, and Ben Probst each logging two innings. Dreyer (2-2) earned his second in, allowing two hits and fanning five.
OF NOTE…
- Milwaukee out-hit Iowa, 13-11, in the game. It was the Hawkeyes' fourth win (4-10) this season when being out-hit by its opposition.
- Sophomore Lorenzo Elion led a trio of Hawkeyes with multi-hit games. The third baseman finished 4-for-5 with two RBIs. Tyler Cropley (2-for-5, 2 R, RBI), and Tanner Wetrich (2-for-4, 3 R, 2 RBIs) also had multi-hit games.
- Cropley has four straight two-hit games, giving him a team-best 16 multi-hit games this season.
- The Hawkeyes are 7-2 in midweek games, which includes six straight midweek victories.
- Iowa improves to 13-3 at home this season. UP NEXT The Hawkeyes (24-13) return to action Friday, hosting Michigan for a three-game series this weekend. The Wolverines bring a 20-game winning streak -- the second-longest streak in the nation -- into Iowa City.FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES Stay up-to-date on all the happenings with the Iowa baseball program on social media via Twitter (@UIBaseball), Instagram/UIBaseball, and Facebook/IowaBaseball.