Logan Hastings struck out four batters and gave up six hits during the five innings he pitched on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough as Maryland (18-21, 4-13 B1G) dropped Game 2, 5-2, against Iowa (21-15, 6-10 B1G) on Saturday.

The Dirty Terps lost a slug fest against the Hawkeyes in Iowa City. They put seven hits on the board, but couldn’t capitalize with runners on base. Maryland’s two runs from the game came from solo homers hit by Bud Coombs and Ty Kaunas.

Iowa crossed home plate first in the second inning, when Joey Nerat scored on an RBI single hit by Brett White. 

The game was 1-0 in favor of the Hawkeyes for a couple of innings, as neither Maryland nor Iowa seemed eager to score.  This changed in the fifth when Iowa added three more runs. 

Kooper Schulte scored first for Iowa on an RBI fielder’s choice by Caleb Wulf. Carter Geffre then hit a two-run RBI single scoring Wulf and Gable Mitchell, and by the end of the inning Iowa was up by four, and the game felt out of reach.

Coombs got Maryland first run of the game in the sixth when he hit a solo home run, his third of the season. Coombs’s homer came with no outs on the board for the Dirty Terps, but Maryland wasn’t able to add any more runs.

The Hawkeyes regained a four run lead in their half of the sixth inning when Schulte hit an RBI double to score Nerat.

Iowa led 5-1 for the rest of the game until the first pitch of the ninth inning, when Ty Kaunas hit his fourth home run of the season and cut Iowa’s lead down to three runs.

Kaunas’s ninth inning solo home run wasn’t enough to rally Maryland, as Iowa retired the next three batters David Mendez, Franklin Pichardo Jr., and Paul Jones II, sealing a 5-2 victory for the Hawkeyes.

Maryland’s loss against Iowa means the Dirty Terps dropped another series against a Big Ten opponent as they lost Game 1 against the Hawkeyes 14-4 in eight innings on Saturday. Maryland’s only series win against a conference opponent came earlier this season against Indiana.

The series finale against Maryland and Iowa will be played on Sunday in Iowa City. Daniel Stein will be on the call for MBN.