It’s not really a cliché when Brody Brecht says he takes everything one pitch at a time.

It’s an approach that is now making him, as his coach described it, a “really polished pitcher.”

Brecht matched a career high with 13 strikeouts, allowing just two hits and one run over eight innings in Iowa’s 9-2 win over Northwestern on Saturday at Duane Banks Field.

The Hawkeyes (27-18 overall, 12-8 Big Ten) clinched the series against the Wildcats (13-29, 2-15) behind Brecht, who is putting together an impressive run to close the regular season.

Brecht (3-2), over his last three starts, has struck out 36 in 22 ⅔ innings, allowing just five hits, three runs (two earned) and eight walks in that stretch.

“I continue to preach the mental side of the game — just control what I can control,” Brecht said. “Take it one pitch at a time — it’s been a big focus for me.”

Iowa coach Rick Heller appreciates that approach.

“I just think from a confidence standpoint, from a focus standpoint, he’s in a great place right now,” Heller said. “He isn’t putting the weight of the world on every pitch. He’s just going out and playing and having fun and helping the team, not worrying about anything but the next pitch. That’s great to see, because that hasn’t always been the case.”

Brecht’s confidence could be seen early. Northwestern’s Preston Knott doubled into the right-field corner on Brecht’s second pitch of the game. Knott ended up scoring — he moved to third base on Bennett Markinson’s fly ball to right field and scored on Jackson Freeman’s sacrifice fly. But those two outs started a streak of 12 consecutive hitters retired by Brecht.

Brecht was consistently working ahead of the hitters during that run.

“That’s the name of the game — getting ahead,” he said. “When you get ahead, the chase rates go up.”

Brecht finally got a lead in the fifth inning, when Iowa scored three runs off a bases-loaded walk, a sacrifice fly, and a double steal.

Brecht had six of his strikeouts in the three innings after the Hawkeyes had taken the lead.

“He was in control the entire time, I felt like,” Heller said. “He’s in a really good zone right now. When he would hit a little spell when he wasn’t getting ahead, he stepped back, found a way to get back in the zone. When we did score, he had shutdown innings.

“He was just really, really in control. That was the third one in a row where he looked like a really polished pitcher.”

Iowa got a run in the sixth on Raider Tello’s run-scoring single, then broke open the game in the eighth with five runs. Andy Nelson had a two-run double, Tello drove in a run with a double, then Reese Moore hit a two-run home run.

“I was really happy,” Heller said. “There were so many quality at bats today where there was no reward. To finally have it break through shows you that the mentality was right.”

Brecht’s long outing — he threw 115 pitches — allowed Heller to conserve his bullpen for Sunday’s series finale. Heller had planned on using Ben DeTaeye in the eighth if Brecht needed help, and then Jack Young in the ninth, but the big lead allowed him to save both.

“That was exactly what we needed to be in good shape for tomorrow’s game,” Heller said.

Northwest Iowa — While farmers were worried what this year would bring when it started in January due to 182 straight weeks of drought — and even as spring neared, our very dry soil conditions had farmers concerned — it seems to be of less and less concern, especially in our area, due to timely rains.

According to the US Drought monitor at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, while there was a little area of “abnormally dry” conditions in our part of northwest Iowa two weeks ago, that area has disappeared, and, in fact, the state as a whole is showing less and less drought.

The latest USDA Crop Progress Report for Iowa showed continued improvement in moisture levels. Only nine percent of northwest Iowa topsoil was either short or very short of moisture compared to 19 percent the previous week. 67 percent of northwest Iowa has adequate moisture, with 24 percent surplus.

All of the recent rainfall is also having a direct impact on lake levels. Mike Hawkins, a fisheries biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources tells KUOO news levels on the Iowa Great Lakes have risen considerably recently.

And with more rain in the forecast, Hawkins says those levels are likely to come up even more. Rain is possible this Monday and Monday night.

(With help from fellow Community First Broadcasting stations KUOO in Spirit Lake and KAYL in Storm Lake)

(Pottawattamie County) Pottawattamie County officials say the damage caused by the April 26 tornadoes is estimated at $20,916,438.00, including $12,213,237.00 in Minden.

Craig Carlsen, Public Relations Manager, says assessments on damage across the county continue but are starting to validate the full scope of the tornado damage.

Below is a table of the property damage by the numbers, excluding public infrastructure.

Pottawattamie Countywide                          Residential            Commercial           Total
Impacted Properties                                                259                              43                                 302
Destroyed Properties                                               73                                23                                   96
Majorly Damaged Properties                                 51                                  3                                    54
Minor and Affected Properties                              135                              17                                   152
Cost                                                                        $19, 026,209         $37,979.00               $19,064,188

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Minden
Impacted Properties                                               151                               43                                     194
Destroyed Properties                                              42                                23                                       65
Majorly Damaged Properties                                31                                   3                                       34
Minor and Affected Properties                             78                                 17                                       95
Cost                                                                         $10,375,258                 $37,979.00                     $10,413,237

Meanwhile, power is restored to all homes and businesses capable of receiving it in Minden. The State of Iowa partnered with Minden to obtain contract services for a temporary water treatment plant and a debris removal contract to expedite recovery.

Pottawattamie County Officials emphasize the importance of residential and business property owners submitting their damages to the Pottawattamie County Emergency Management website. The reports provide vital information that supports the request for federal assistance to homeowners and business owners. The damage reporting portal can be found at pcema-ia.org.

The Muli-Agency Resource Center will be in Minden today from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the United Church of Christ to meet various needs of Pottawattamie County Residents impacted by the Tornado outbreak.