Centerville -- Indian Hills bounced back after dropping the first game of a four-game conference series with Marshalltown CC to win the set, using timely hitting and some solid pitching performances to win three in a row. After losing the opening contest of the series, 4-2, IHCC rebounded to win 6-3, 10-5 and 14-4.
The series finale turned out to be the first win of the season by Yasiel Valdez, who allowed only two earned runs and fanned four in the 14-4 pasting. Accumulating eight hits, Indian Hills took advantage of 13 walks and three MCC errors in routing the Tigers. Six of IHCC's hits were for extra bases, including homers by Will Zimmerman and Justin King, triples from Ryan Humeniuk and King, and a pair of doubles by Gabriel Coburn. Trailing 3-1 heading into the bottom of the 4th inning, IHCC erupted for six runs, then added seven more in the next inning.
In the first game on Friday, King walloped a grand slam home run and Indian Hills used three three-run innings to post the win. Jameson Hart picked up three hits, two of them doubles, scored three times and knocked in two runs. Humeniuk and Jordan Yamaguchi had two-hit games. Starter Rodny Valdes was knocked out in the 3rd inning, but Corey Jackson was tremendous in relief, permitting only one hit and punching out five. Hunter Capps threw the 7th inning.
It was rough start to the series with MCC plating three runs in the 3rd inning and making them stand up in the 4-2 win. Jet Weber notched three hits for the Falcons who got RBIs from Humeniuk and Hart and runs scored by Christian Pena and Jay Hester. Oracio DeLeon probably deserved a better fate for IHCC, but he took the loss. Only one of MCC's four runs was earned and DeLeon struck out five in his complete-game effort.
IHCC came out swinging in Thursday's nightcap, scoring three runs in each of the first two innings, getting a pair of RBIs from the top two hitters in the lineup, Zimmerman and Humeniuk. Zachary Fascia and Pena also drove in runs and Zimmerman scored twice. The Falcons got a strong start from DJ DePiero. The lefty gave up five hits, all singles, in his 5 1/3 innings and whiffed 11. Fascia got a five-out save, striking out three more Tigers.