Iowa baseball splits Big Ten-opening doubleheader with No. 11 Indiana

Brady Schanuel struck out 11 in seven shutout innings and Iowa earned a doubleheader split with a 5-1 win over No. 11 Indiana in Friday's nightcap at Duane Banks Field.

The Hoosiers (16-5, 1-1) opened Big Ten play with a 4-2 victory in the first game before the Hawkeyes (13-8, 1-1) bounced back in a game originally scheduled for Saturday, but pushed up due to snow in the forecast. The rubber match is set for 1 p.m. Sunday.

Schanuel (4-2), a Parkland College (JUCO) transfer, allowed just one hit and four walks on 110 pitches to get the win. Zach Daniels gave up a run on a sac fly in the eighth, but only allowed a ninth-inning walk from there.

Iowa knocked out IU starter Pauly Milto (3-2) after 1 2/3 innings, though it didn't do as much damage as it could. After loading the bases with two outs in the first, Matt Hoeg delivered an RBI single and Justin Jenkins walked to bring in another run. Ben Norman flied out to end the threat. Tyler Cropley added on in the second with an RBI double to score Robert Neustrom.

Chris Whelan smacked a solo shot in the sixth, and Cropley capped a 3-for-4, two-RBI game with a long ball in the eighth.

Indiana got to Game 1 starter Nick Allgeyer in the sixth, with leadoff man Logan Kaletha's solo home run breaking a 1-1 tie. Ryan Fineman added an RBI single, what proved to be a necessary insurance run.

After Shane Ritter hit Laren Eustace with the bases loaded to drive in another Indiana run, Iowa nearly mounted a game-saving comeback. Jenkins drilled a solo home run to left in the eighth, then Neustrom and Cropley singled to lead off the ninth, but Cal Krueger shut the door from there with two strikeouts and a flyout.

Matt Lloyd also homered in the first game for the Hoosiers, the only Big Ten team currently ranked in the top 25 nationally.