LAWRENCE, Kan. - Southern Utah University dropped an 8-3 contest to University of
Iowa in its first game at the Jayhawk Classic played in Lawrence, Kan. Monday
afternoon.
The Thunderbirds saw their record fall to 4-2
while Iowa improved to 1-3 on the young season. Redshirt-sophomore designated
hitter Brock Westphal led SUU with a hit, RBI and run scored while
redshirt-freshman left fielder Tyson Weber added an RBI double.
Iowa put up single runs in the second and
third innings before putting up three in the top of the fifth. The Hawkeyes
picked up runs in the fifth frame on an RBI-triple and a pair of RBI-singles
off of SUU senior starting pitcher James Crockett.
Southern Utah answered in their half the
fifth, scoring three runs to make it a 5-3 Iowa lead. Redshirt-sophomore
catcher Taylor Shaw was hit by a pitch to start the inning and redshirt-junior
third baseman Justin Neuhart followed with a single to left to put two runs on
with nobody out. Westphal then stepped in a lined the first pitch he saw into
centerfield to score Shaw and Weber followed by pulling a 1-0 pitch down the
left field line for a run-scoring double. Freshman right fielder Stephen
Rockhill later added an RBI-groundout as Westphal came across to cap the
inning's scoring.
The Hawkeyes came right back with a run in
the sixth before adding single runs in the seventh and eighth to open up an 8-3
lead that proved to be enough for the win.
Crockett suffered the loss after allowing
five earned runs on five hits, walking five and striking out three in his
five-inning start.
SUU has added a game to its schedule and will
now play a doubleheader against University of Kansas on Tuesday. First pitch is
scheduled for 2 p.m. (MST).
