Preview: Illinois-Chicago at Iowa

IOWA CITY, Iowa (Interstat) — The Iowa Hawkeyes look to steady themselves after a series loss to Maryland when they host the Illinois-Chicago Flames in a nonconference matchup Wednesday at Duane Banks Field.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. under cloudy skies with a temperature near 75 degrees.

Iowa (18-16-1) dropped two of three to the Terrapins over the weekend, including a 16-5 loss Sunday. The Hawkeyes’ recent results have been uneven, sandwiching a midweek 20-1 rout of Bradley between a road sweep at the hands of Southern California and the Maryland series.

Right-hander Logan Runde is a player to watch for Iowa. He provided a bright spot in Sunday’s defeat, allowing one earned run on three hits over four innings of relief with four strikeouts. His season has been a mix of strong outings, like a seven-inning win over Minnesota on April 5, and brief struggles.

The visiting Flames (15-21-1) arrive with momentum, coming off a three-game sweep of Valparaiso. Illinois-Chicago won Sunday’s finale 5-4 in 12 innings, fueled by excellent bullpen work.

Flames reliever Mark Eddie has been a key to that success and will be a player to watch. Eddie earned the win Sunday with 3 1/3 scoreless innings and has been dominant lately. Over his last seven appearances, spanning 11 innings, he has allowed just two earned runs while surrendering only three total hits.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, Illinois-Chicago is projected to win 7-5.

The game serves as a final tune-up before both teams resume conference play this weekend. Iowa opens a Big Ten series at Indiana on Friday. Illinois-Chicago begins a Horizon League series at home against Youngstown State on Friday.