Iowa City, IA. - Bradley Baseball will look to build on their season finale win over the Belmont Bruins as they travel to Iowa City, Iowa, on Wednesday to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes at 6:05 p.m.
Bradley Braves Overview
The Braves (5-26) lost their first two games of their weekend series against Belmont but bounced back in their game on Sunday with a 15-4 run-rule victory. Bobby Atkinson (.942 OPS) ended the series with two home runs, three RBI, four runs scored, and a walk. He also recorded a hit in each of the three games.
Timmy O'Brien has continued to find ways to contribute at the plate, crushing his team-leading 10th homer on Sunday and tying for the team lead in RBI with 23. Cole Luckey had an outstanding performance on Sunday, hitting two bombs and driving in six RBI in Bradley's 15-4 win.
On the mound, Bradley's pitching continues to improve, holding the Bruins to fewer than five runs in two of the three games. Travis Lutz set a new single-game career high in strikeouts on Friday, fanning nine over seven innings while allowing just two runs on five hits with three walks. Josh Vaughn followed suit on Saturday, also throwing a single-game career-high in strikeouts with seven while giving up no earned runs.
University of Iowa Hawkeyes Overview
The Hawkeyes (23-11) have won nine of their last 11 games heading into their Wednesday matchup against the Braves. In their previous game, Iowa fell to Nebraska, 6-4 to end their three-game series. Reese Moore has been a beast at the plate this season, hitting .351 with a 1.190 OPS. He leads the team with nine home runs and is second on the team with 34 RBI.
On the mound, Cade Obermueller has put together an impressive season, posting a 2.18 ERA and 76 strikeouts across 53 ⅔ innings pitched. He has thrown a complete game this season and has a 1.00 WHIP.
Matchup Outlook
The last time these two teams faced off, Bradley allowed five runs in the first due to multiple walks and errors, and they couldn't recover. In this game, it is important that Bradley's defense and pitching give their offense a chance to compete with the Hawkeyes.
