The Iowa Hawkeyes baseball team really wasn’t all that helpful yesterday. But, with a loss to the Hawkeyes, it’s becoming more and more clear that Eddie Smith and the Washington Huskies might have a shot to get some wins in Big Ten play this season.
Why is this particular Iowa baseball loss both annoying and capable of providing hope for the Huskies baseball team?
Well, it’s because Iowa managed to lose to a dreadful and unsuccessful Washington State Cougars baseball team. The Hawkeyes entered the game 3-3 and Wazzu was winless. Now, Washington State happens to be 1-8 while the Iowa baseball team sits at 3-4.
Good job, Iowa.
I, for one, would have appreciated it if you’d found a way to get a win here instead of suffering a 12-7 loss to a winless team. But, if Washington State is capable of getting a win over you, and you are roughly as good as seemingly half this conference, then I feel justified in feeling just a little bit better about Washington’s prospects this season.
Big Ten baseball scores, results, and recaps: Iowa Hawkeyes simply unable to beat the previously winless Washington State Cougars
Interestingly enough, Iowa actually outhit Washington State. But, if you happen to strand 14 baserunners, you’re not going to do a great job at scoring runs and that might mean you’re going to suffer a frustrating loss.
Like Iowa did.
The Cougars were able to put consistent pressure on Iowa’s pitchers as they scored in six different innings and forced the Hawkeyes to use a grand total of EIGHT different pitchers. That’s just not a recipe for winning baseball games if you’re Iowa in this instance.
It’s great work from Washington State, though. The Cougars stole seven bases, made life frustrating for Iowa, and got their first win of the season. Sometimes you just need to tip your cap to an interesting win. And that’s the case here.