IOWA CITY, Iowa (Interstat) — Aaron Jungers delivered five perfect innings of relief, and the Lindenwood Lions capitalized on a critical Iowa error to secure a 4-3 victory over the Hawkeyes on Saturday evening at Duane Banks Field.

The win, played under the lights after an afternoon start, evened the weekend series and improved Lindenwood to 6-8 on the season. Iowa fell to 6-5.

The game’s pivotal sequence unfolded in the top of the sixth inning, breaking a stretch of dominant pitching. With the Lions clinging to a 4-3 lead, Will Geary singled and Jake Radosevich walked against Iowa reliever Kyle Alivo. William Zareh then laid down a bunt toward third base. Iowa catcher Caleb Wulf fielded the ball but his throw to first sailed wide, allowing Geary to score from second and Radosevich to advance to third. Radosevich then scored on Ethan Cantareira’s sacrifice fly, providing two vital unearned runs.

Those runs proved decisive, as Jungers slammed the door shut on the Hawkeyes. Entering the game in the bottom of the fifth, the right-hander was untouchable. He struck out seven of the 15 batters he faced, not allowing a hit or a walk over five innings to earn the save. His performance starkly contrasted with his recent outing, a loss to Northern Illinois where he allowed three hits and an earned run in 3 1/3 innings.

Lindenwood built its early lead against Iowa starter Logan Runde, who was solid in his 4 2/3 innings of work, allowing four hits and one earned run while striking out five. The Lions struck first in the fifth when designated hitter Tanner Simpson launched a solo home run to deep right field. Tyler Ellis was then hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a bunt single by Kam Edwards, and scored on a fielder’s choice and a throwing error by Iowa third baseman Gable Mitchell.

Iowa had rallied to take the lead earlier, erasing a 4-0 deficit with all its offense coming in the third and fourth innings. In the third, Joey Nerat ripped a two-run triple to deep center field, scoring Caleb Wulf and Mitch Wood. An inning later, Mitchell singled, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Kooper Schulte to make it 4-3.

After the Hawkeyes’ rally, Lindenwood starter Seth Benes gave way to Jungers. Benes pitched four innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits while striking out six. Following Jungers’ entry, Iowa managed only one baserunner, a ninth-inning single by Jaylen Ziegler, who finished the day 3 for 4. Jungers promptly stranded him, ending the game with a fielder’s choice.

Iowa’s bullpen, after Runde’s departure, was excellent in keeping the game close. Alivo and Joe Husak combined for 4 1/3 innings of relief, allowing just three hits and no earned runs while striking out five. Husak was particularly sharp, tossing three scoreless frames.

Ellis led Lindenwood’s eight-hit attack, going 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored. The Lions’ victory defied pregame projections from Interstat, whose game simulator had predicted a 5-3 Iowa win and whose ELO system gave the Hawkeyes an 82.7% probability of victory.

The most important part of the game was Jungers’ relief appearance, which completely stifled Iowa’s momentum after they had closed the gap to one run. His dominance preserved the lead provided by the two unearned runs in the sixth, which themselves were the direct result of the defensive miscue by Wulf.

The teams conclude their three-game series on Sunday afternoon.