IOWA CITY, Iowa – Rutgers baseball (8-19, 1-4) put the tying run in scoring position in the seventh after falling behind 7-1, but Iowa (18-11, 5-3) held on to claim a 9-5 win in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader at Banks Field. The Scarlet Knights are now 4-4 in Big Ten games versus the Hawkeyes.
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Down by six in the seventh, sophomore
Mike Nyisztor hit his first collegiate homer before junior
Kevin Welsh lined an RBI single and senior
Carmen Sclafani drove in two more as the tying run to make it a 7-5 game. Sclafani later stole second, but was left on. The Scarlet Knights stranded nine in the game.
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Welsh had three hits for the sixth time in his career, lacing a pair of doubles. Nyisztor and freshman
Chris Brito both had two hits. RU posted 12 hits overall.
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On the mound, junior
Tommy Genuario pitched five-plus innings in his second start of the season. Freshman
Garrett French retired all four hitters faced in relief.
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Cam Baumann worked 6.1 innings with three runs allowed for Iowa, while Grant Leonard picked up the last eight outs for his seventh save of the season. Zeb Adreon collected four RBIs in the game.
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SCORING
- The Scarlet Knights jumped on top with a run in the first. Redshirt freshman Tim Dezzi and Brito both singled with one out to put runners at the corners before senior Tyler McNamara hit an RBI fielder's choice.
- The Hawkeyes answered with an RBI double in the bottom of the first.
- Tanner Wetrich lifted a solo homer to put Iowa up in the second, 2-1.
- A two-out RBI double increased the home team's advantage to three in the fourth.
- Iowa posted four runs on three hits to take a 7-1 lead after six innings.
- The Scarlet Knights responded with four in the top of the seventh to make it a two-run game. Nyisztor started the rally with a solo homer before Dezzi walked to force a pitching change. Brito then singled and McNamara walked to load for bases for Welsh, who ripped an RBI single. Sclafani, facing another reliever, capped the scoring with a two-run single to center.
- Iowa countered with a two-run double in the bottom of the seventh to make it 9-5.
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NOTES
- Rutgers had five freshmen in the starting lineup.
- Welsh extended his on-base streak to 22 games.
- The game-time temperature was 64 degrees and the contest lasted two hours, 49 minutes.