Iowa baseball falls to Lindenwood, 4-3

Hawkeyes drop to 9-5 overall after close loss at home

Published on Mar. 8, 2026

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The University of Iowa baseball team fell to Lindenwood, 4-3, on a cold and windy Saturday afternoon at Duane Banks Field. The Hawkeyes struck first with a 2-run triple in the third inning, but Lindenwood responded with two runs in the fifth and took the lead in the sixth to secure the victory.

Why it matters

This was Iowa's first home loss of the season, dropping them to 9-5 overall. The Hawkeyes are looking to build momentum heading into conference play, and this close defeat against a non-conference opponent is a setback in that effort.

The details

Senior Logan Runde started on the mound for Iowa, working 4.2 innings and giving up two runs on four hits while striking out five. Redshirt freshman Kyle Alivo took the loss in relief, allowing two more runs in 1.1 innings. Iowa jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third on a two-run triple by senior Joey Nerat, but Lindenwood tied it in the fifth and took the lead for good with a solo home run and a throwing error in the sixth.

  • The game was played on Saturday, March 8, 2026.
  • Iowa struck first with a 2-run triple in the third inning.
  • Lindenwood scored two runs in the top of the fifth inning to tie the game.
  • Lindenwood took the lead with a solo home run and a throwing error in the sixth inning.

The players

Logan Runde

A senior pitcher for the University of Iowa baseball team who started the game and worked 4.2 innings.

Kyle Alivo

A redshirt freshman pitcher for the University of Iowa who took the loss in relief.

Joey Nerat

A senior outfielder for the University of Iowa who hit a 2-run triple in the third inning to give the Hawkeyes an early lead.

Rick Heller

The head coach of the University of Iowa baseball team.

Aaron Jungers

The Lindenwood pitcher who came in relief and pitched well to secure the victory for the Lions.

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What they’re saying

“We scored a couple runs early in the third on a day when scoring runs wasn't easy. We got a good start out of Logan. He ran out of gas in the fifth inning.”

— Rick Heller, Head Coach (1630kcjj.com)

“I thought we did a good job getting their starter out a little earlier than we expected. With the game being close, they went with Aaron Jungers and he pitched fantastic. The way he pitches is perfect for a day like today. We made two errors that cost us runs, and on a day like today, the team that makes the fewest mistakes and gives up the fewest free bases usually wins. Other than the first inning, we didn't get a leadoff batter on base and that makes it tough to do things.”

— Rick Heller, Head Coach (1630kcjj.com)

What’s next

The Hawkeyes return to action tomorrow at 1:02 p.m. (CT) to face Lindenwood for the final game of the series.

The takeaway

This close loss at home against a non-conference opponent is a setback for the Hawkeyes as they look to build momentum heading into Big Ten play. The team's inability to get leadoff batters on base and the two costly errors proved to be the difference in a game that was otherwise closely contested.