It wasn’t the preferred path after the Iowa Hawkeyes took a 5-2 lead over the North Carolina Tar Heels into the eighth inning, but it’ll work all the same.
The Hawkeyes survived a marathon, extra-innings affair with the Heels. They used an RBI triple by junior shortstop Michael Seegers to plate redshirt freshman Coy Sarsfield in the 13th inning en route to a 6-5 win.
Seegers’ heroics wouldn’t have been possible without a pinch-hit single from freshman Blake Guerin to set up Sarsfield on the base paths. Nor would it have happened without a Herculean effort from redshirt junior Will Christophersen in relief.
After the Hawkeyes coughed up that 5-2 lead with a game-tying solo blast from UNC’s Mac Horvath in the ninth, Christophersen entered and went the rest of the way for Iowa.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound reliever from Bettendorf, Iowa, pitched 4 2/3 no-hit, scoreless innings with four strikeouts to pave the way for Seegers’ RBI triple in the 13th.
Though junior Ty Langenberg didn’t wind up the winning pitcher, his seven-plus innings were pivotal in setting the stage for Iowa to wind up in the final. The Hawkeye starter allowed four earned runs after sophomore Jack Whitlock couldn’t quite wiggle out of the trouble in the eighth that Langenberg left him.
Still, it was the start the Hawkeyes needed and were looking for.
Early on, it looked like Wofford graduate transfer Brennen Dorighi’s three-run blast in the fifth would represent the winning touches for the Hawks. While it ultimately wasn’t, the fifth-year player’s homer erased an early 2-1 deficit and put Iowa in front 4-2.
After all of it though, the Hawkeyes managed to outlast North Carolina and win a dramatic extra-innings affair.
Now, Iowa needs to beat Indiana State twice to capture the Terre Haute Regional championship and advance into the super regionals. The Hawkeyes will play the Sycamores Sunday night at 5 p.m. CT. If they win, the two teams will meet again Monday in a winner-take-all contest.
Naturally, Hawkeye Twitter was feeling much better than last night after the wild win over UNC. Here’s the best reactions to the massive elimination game victory.