Warrensburg, Missouri -- Indian Hills erupted for 13 runs and 14 hits to salvage the final game of a four-game weekend series with Colby (Kans.), winning the finale, 13-4, on Sunday.
The Falcons scored in all six innings in which they hit in posting the win after they had lost to Colby by scores of 7-6 and 6-4 on Saturday and 6-4 in Sunday's opener. In the win, leadoff hitter Declan Buckle went 4-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. Garrett Takamatsu singled, doubled, homered twice and knocked in seven runs. Ryo Yamaguchi and Alex Fisher had identical stat lines -- each was 2-for-3 with three runs and an RBI. Jameson Hart and Alex Fisher both tripled. Nathan Chasey took advantage of the offensive explosion to get his first pitching victory of the season in his first start. He came up one out short of a complete game, scattering 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings, while striking out four. Genki Muroi came on for the last out.
In the first game Sunday, Colby erased a 3-0 Indian Hills lead with a six-run 6th inning. Jet Weber had two hits, two runs and an RBI and Hart and Cooper Huckabone each had a hit and a run-batted-in. Jacob Kristensen and Chasey scored a run. The Falcons used five pitchers. Starter Luis Rivera was knocked out in the 6h, charged with the first two runs. Omar Vigil gave up three and Jordan Bahnuk one run. "We just couldn't minimize the big inning," said IHCC coach Matthew Torrez. "The big inning hurt us all weekend."
Colby pushed across five runs in the 6th in game two of the series to break a 1-1 deadlock. IHCC responded with three in the 7th but couldn't get any closer, losing 6-4. Takamatsu had a single, two doubles and two RBIs and Fisher and Hart picked up two hits each. A shaky defense hurt the Falcons, as only one of the six runs allowed were earned. Starter Wyatt Wendell was charged with all of the Colby runs and took the loss; Malik Abdul came on to get the final out in the 6th. Torrez said, "Wyatt did a really good job, we just didn't make enough plays for him late. Our defense dug us too big of a hole that we couldn't overcome with our 7th-inning rally."
The first contest went to extra innings after the Falcons tallied five runs in the 5th to tie the game up, 5-5. Colby got the game-winner in the bottom of the 8th. Weber, Takamatsu and Hart had two hits apiece, Weber scored twice, Takamatsu drove in two and Fisher tripled. Zacharie Allard started and worked into the 6th inning. Bahnuk relieved and took the loss.