Game 12: Iowa vs. Maryland

IOWA 4, MARYLAND 3
 
FORT COLLINS, CO – Iowa’s Denali Loecker drove in three runs and closed the game in the circle with two innings of work as the Hawkeyes got past Maryland in a semifinal Saturday at the 2023 NISC.  
 
Iowa (34-27) will face BYU for the title.
 
After three scoreless innings, Iowa broke through for the game’s first run on a solo home run from Loecker, her 10th of the season. Loecker added a two-run single in the fifth, and the Hawkeyes’ lead moved to 4-0 on a sacrifice fly from Grace Banes that plated Tory Bennett.
 
Trinity Schlotterbeck hit a sacrifice fly for Maryland in the bottom of the seventh, and Sydney Lewis drove in a run with a two-out double. The Terrapins (38-19) got one run away after an error allowed a run, but the game ended as Denali struck out the final batter.
 
Iowa starter Jalen Adams went five scoreless innings with two hits and a walk allowed, with two strikeouts to get her 10th win of the season. Nia Carter had two hits for Iowa – she has 100 in 2023 and is just the second player in Big Ten history to have 100 or more hits in a season.