Hawkeyes deliver, top Nebraska

IOWA CITY - The Iowa baseball team keeps on winning.

By sweeping No. 25 Nebraska, 3-2 and 5-1, in a doubleheader on Sunday in front of 2,506 fans at Duane Banks Field, No. 17 Iowa took winning to another level.

The series sweep of the Huskers was a school-record sixth straight Big Ten series win.

And Iowa (30-11) reached 30 wins for the second consecutive season for the first time in 25 years.

The Hawkeyes are now 13-2 in league play, a half-game back of Illinois (13-1) for the conference lead.

The two teams are not scheduled to play in the regular season.

Iowa also improved to 8-1 against Top 25 teams this year.

Senior second baseman Jake Mangler, who batted .462 in the series, said wins like these help the team's confidence.

'It was great and it was obviously a huge series for us coming in, as both of us being in the top 25,” Mangler said. 'They've always been kind of known as the ‘big brother.' So to come out and not only compete with them, but to sweep them, was huge for us.”

Calvin Matthews took the mound for the Hawkeyes during the first game of Sunday's twinbill. He pitched into the sixth inning, allowing three hits and one earned run.

Center fielder Eric Toole and Mangler led the team with three hits each. Toole had three singles, while Mangler had a triple, double, and single, batting in two runners. Junior catcher Jimmy Frankos sealed the win by hitting an infield single in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Nick Hibbing got the win in relief.

In the second game, junior Tyler Peyton - who entered the game with a 2.83 ERA - took the mound for the Hawkeyes in their third game in 24 hours. Peyton dazzled, allowing one run while working into the ninth inning.

'Getting ahead is the key. Getting behind, you have to come back with stuff that's right over the plate,” Peyton said. 'Getting ahead you can work with all of your pitches and it's just a great tool to get in front of the hitter and make sure you can still locate.”

Toole led the team with three hits, including an RBI triple in the fourth.

Iowa hosts Sacramento State on Tuesday. The Hawkeyes then travel to Michigan (27-17, 11-7) next weekend for their first of three more Big Ten series this season (vs. Minnesota May 8-10, at Rutgers May 14-16).

The top eight teams in the league play in the Big Ten Tournament May 20-24 in Minneapolis, Minn.