Softball Team in Hawaii

[RobHowe]

Iowa Rallies for Two Wins on Day 1 of the Hawai’i Invitational

HONOLULU, HI – The University of Iowa softball team (9-2) won its first two games at the Hawai’i Invitational on Friday thanks to a strong defensive showing and Nia Carter’s walk-off single. Iowa defeated Portland State, 8-3, in the first game. Iowa claimed its second victory of the day in thrilling fashion over UMKC, 2-1.


Senior Allison Doocy tabbed Iowa’s opening win over Portland State. In addition to tying her season-high 12 strikeouts, Doocy (3-1) tossed seven innings, giving up three runs.


Junior Aralee Bogar led the way offensively for the Hawkeyes in the first game, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs. Sophomore Kit Rocco compiled a standout day at the plate as well, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Freshman Nia Carter also chipped in, going 2-for-3 for Iowa with two RBIs.


Iowa rallied to score one in the seventh inning and walked it off on a single off the bat of freshman Nia Carter to pick up the 2-1 win over the Kangaroos in the second game.


Junior Lauren Shaw (6-1) got the win for Iowa against UMKC. The left-hander went seven innings, giving up one run on seven hits, allowing one walk and striking out six.





Junior Ashley Hamilton led the way offensively for the Hawkeyes in game two, going 2-for-3 in the ballgame with two doubles and an RBI. Hamilton doubled in the top of the seventh to put a runner in scoring position before Carter’s clinching hit. Carter put together a noteworthy day at the dish as well, going 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI.


HEAR FROM COACH GILLISPIE

"We had a great showing in the first game. (Allison) Doocy did great on the mound. Our offense was strong and getting quality at-bats. We had a lot of clutch hits that and it was a good way to start our double-header. Against UMKC, we didn't have the offensive arsenal we wanted, but (Lauren) Shaw did a great job keeping their hitters off-balance, and our defense played great again. Ashley Hamilton and Nia Carter both had clutch hits to help us win."


HOW IT HAPPENED

GAME 1

The Hawkeyes put runs on the scoreboard first, beginning in the second inning. Iowa scored three runs in the frame, highlighted by a two-run single from Carter.


The Hawkeyes then held the Vikings scoreless before expanding their lead in the fourth inning. Iowa scored once on Rocco’s RBI single, which brought the Hawkeyes lead to 4-0.


Portland State narrowed Iowa's lead to 4-2 in the fifth before the Hawkeyes stretched the advantage to 6-2 in the sixth inning. The Hawkeyes scored twice, with one run coming across on Rocco's single.


Iowa kept the Vikings scoreless in the sixth. The Hawkeyes pushed two runs across in the seventh on a Bogar double that scored sophomore Kate Claypool and senior Havyn Monteer, extending the Iowa advantage to 8-2. Portland State put one run on the scoreboard before the game was over, but the Hawkeyes still coasted to the 8-3 win.


GAME HIGHLIGHTS
» Bogar and Rocco collected three hits.
» Doocy struck out 12 Vikings hitters.
» The Hawkeyes power output was led by Bogar, who had two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Every Iowa starter reached base safely in the win.
» Iowa's highest scoring inning was the second, when it pushed three runs across.
» Five Hawkeyes had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Hawkeyes out-hit the Vikings at a 13-9 clip.
» Iowa went 6-for-14 (.429) with runners in scoring position.
» Doocy limited Portland State to just 1-for-10 (.100) with runners in scoring position.
» Doocy faced 32 Portland State hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and three fly balls while striking out 12.
» Bogar led the Hawkeyes at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs.


GAME 2

The Hawkeyes were trailing 1-0 in the fourth inning when they first put runs on the board. Iowa got on the board thanks to Hamilton's RBI double with two outs.



The game remained tied until the bottom of the seventh.



In the bottom of the seventh, Hamilton tallied her second double of the ballgame, putting a runner at second. Taylor Ryan came in to pinch run for Hamilton.



Nia Carter’s walk-off single to right scored Ryan to claim Iowa its second victory of the day.



GAME HIGHLIGHTS
» Shaw struck out six Kangaroos hitters.
» The Hawkeyes power output was led by Hamilton, who compiled two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Shaw restrained UMKC to just 1-for-8 (.125) with runners in scoring position.
» Shaw faced 29 UMKC hitters in the game, allowing 13 ground balls and two fly balls while striking out six.
» Hamilton led the Hawkeyes at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI.


UP NEXT
Next up is day two of the Hawai’i Invitational on Feb. 22. Iowa starts the day against Portland State at 4 p.m. (CT) and ends the day facing host Hawai’i at 8 p.m. (CT).

 

[judzeehawk]

Thanks Rob for the article!

 

[ssckelley]

Clinton has a softball thread in the other sports section.

 

[RobHowe]

Shaw, Doocy Lead Iowa to 2 Victories

HONOLULU, HI – University of Iowa softball pitchers Lauren Shaw and Allison Doocy dominated the second day of the Hawai'i Invitational on Saturday, giving up just one run and stretching Iowa's win streak to five. Iowa defeated Portland State, 8-0, in six innings. Iowa took down host Hawai'i, 2-1, in eight innings in the second game. Doocy tied her career-high with 15 strikeouts to propel Iowa in the nightcap.

Junior Lauren Shaw (7-1) was dealing on Saturday against Portland State, tossing a two-hit shutout to lead the Hawkeyes. Shaw went the distance for Iowa, giving up two hits, walking two and striking out five.

Sophomore Kit Rocco led the way offensively for the Hawkeyes in the first game, going 2-for-4 in the with a double and four RBIs. Junior Mia Ruther starred offensively as well, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Junior AraleeBogar also contributed, going 2-for-3 for Iowa with a double.

Iowa needed eight innings to finish the job, but earned the 2-1 extra-innings victory over the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors in the second game.

Senior Allison Doocy (4-1) started in the circle and picked up the win for Iowa against Hawai'i. The right-hander went eight innings, giving up one run on three hits, allowing two walks and striking out 15.

Sophomore Abby Lien led the way offensively for the Hawkeyes, going 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Junior Aralee Bogar put together a standout performance as well, going 1-for-4 with an RBI. Freshman Nia Carter also chipped in, finishing 2-for-3 for Iowa.

HOW IT HAPPENED
GAME 1

Iowa's offense was steady throughout the game, starting in the first. N. Carter's single through the left side scored Ruther from third. After, an Abby Lien RBI double scores Burns from third.

In the second inning, Rocco RBIs Claypool from third and extends Iowa's lead to three.

The Hawkeyes continued to break the game open in the third after Avery Guy singled to the catcher on a bunt and advanced N. Carter to third. N. Carter then scored from third on a throwing error, pushing Iowa's fourth run across.

Iowa added more insurance in the fourth. Monteer was awarded first after getting beamed by a pitch. Bogardoubled to right field, moving Monteer to third. Rocco stepped up and slammed a two RBI double to left center.

The Hawkeyes failed to score in the fifth.

Monteer singled to short to begin the sixth, but was thrown out at second on a stolen base attempt. Bogarfollowed with a single to center and then stole second.Ruther's RBI double scored Bogar to put Iowa up seven. Rocco finished the game, singling to center and scoring Ruther.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS
» Shaw tossed a two-hit shutout, striking out five Vikings hitters.
» Rocco collected four RBIs for Iowa.
» Every Iowa starter reached base safely in the win.
» Iowa took a 2-0 lead in the bottom half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» Four Hawkeyes had multiple hits in the ballgame. They include: AraleeBogar, Mia Ruther, Kit Rocco and Nia Carter.
» The Hawkeyes out-hit the Vikings at a 13-2 clip.
» Iowa went 6-for-13 (.462) with runners in scoring position.
» Shaw limited Portland State to just 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
» Shaw faced 23 Portland State hitters in the game, forcing eight ground balls and five fly balls while striking out five.
» Rocco led the Hawkeyes at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double and four RBIs.

GAME 2
The Hawkeyes got on the scoreboard first, starting in the seventh inning. Iowa got on the board thanks to Lien's RBI double with one out, scoring N. Carter.

The Rainbow Warriors then tied the ballgame at one before in the seventh.

The Hawkeyes came back to re-claim their advantage in the eighth inning. Iowa scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Bogar, pushing Guy across home and giving Iowa a 2-1 lead. The score remained 2-1 for the rest of the game, as Iowa held on for the win.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS
» Doocy's 15 strikeouts tie her career-high.
» The Hawkeyes out-hit the Rainbow Warriors, 5-3.
» Doocy limited Hawai'i to just 1-for-8 (.125) with runners in scoring position.
» Doocy faced 29 Hawai'i hitters in the game, allowing one ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out 15.
» Lien finished 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

 

[RobHowe]

Iowa Goes 5-0 in Hawai’i

HONOLULU, HI -- The University of Iowa softball team (12-2) defeated Kansas City, 4-2, on a pair of two-run homeruns from freshman Kalena Burns and senior DoniRae Mayhew in the sixth and seventh innings. The Hawkeyes won the Hawai'i Invitational with a perfect 5-0 record.

Senior Allison Doocy (5-1) got the win out of the bullpen for Iowa. The right-hander went 1.2 shutout innings without giving up a hit, one walk and striking out four. Junior Lauren Shaw started the ballgame and went 5.1 innings, surrendering two runs, both earned, on six hits, walking one and striking out two.

Offensively, the Hawkeyes were led by freshman Nia Carter, putting together three hits in three trips to the plate. Kalena Burns, who went 2-for-3 on the day with a double, a homerun and two RBIs, also powered Iowa's offense. Senior DoniRae Mayhew compiled a standout effort as well, going 1-for-1 with a two-run homer in the seventh.

HEAR FROM COACH GILLISPIE
"We had excellent pitching on the mound today by Lauren Shaw and Allison Doocy. Having pitched four games this weekend coming into today, both brought their best effort knowing their defense has their backs. It was exciting to see Nia Carter go 3-for-3 at the plate. She was always finding a way to get on. Kalena Burns and DoniRae Mayhew came up with big hits. Both came to the plate in big situations and had clutch home runs. Winning five games this weekend was an overall team effort. We're looking forward to relaxing on the way home."

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hawkeyes got on the scoreboard first, starting in the sixth inning. Kit Rocco singled to right with two outs. Iowa plated two runs when Burns left the yard -- her third of the season -- with sophomore Morgan Lewis aboard (pinch running for Rocco).

After the Kangaroos rallied to tie the ballgame at two, the Hawkeyes came back to re-take the lead in the seventh inning. Claypool reached first on a fielding error with one out. Mayhew then stepped in to pinch hit, homering to left field, giving Iowa a 4-2 lead. Iowa's defense was strong and held off KC for the team's fifth win of the weekend.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS
» N. Carter picked up three base hits in the game for Iowa.
» The Hawkeyes power output was led by Burns, who had two extra base hits in the ballgame (double and home run).
» The Hawkeyes out-hit the Kangaroos at an 8-6 clip.
» Iowa pitchers faced 28 KC hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out six.
» Burns went 2-for-3 at bat with a double, a home run and two RBIs.

UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes are back in action on Feb. 28, when they will take on Miami (Ohio) and FGCU at The Spring Games in Madeira Beach, Fla., at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. (CT).