COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – It was a fitting penultimate day for the Region XI baseball season as the best two teams in the league all season that had split four regular season contests, divided two more on Friday and will need one more on Saturday to decide a champion.
No. 5-ranked Iowa Western delivered a haymaker punch to second-seeded Indian Hills with a walk off 4-3 victory in game one of the best-of-three Region XI Championship Series at Doc Ross Field using a pair of runs to erase a 3-2 deficit entering the bottom of the ninth. To the Warriors' credit, the visitors shook off the tough loss in the opener to keep its season alive with a 6-2 win in the nightcap, forcing Saturday's winner-take-all game three.
"We did not blink and just kept on playing," said Indian Hills Head Coach Matthew Torrez. "I was really pleased with the effort for 18 innings in one day. It's not easy to stay focused that long, and we did a great job."
The Warriors (38-13) fell behind early in game one as Maddux Hoaglund, allowed the Reivers to string together three singles to go up 1-0 after the first inning of play. A Benjamin Palmer leadoff triple would be followed with an Alec Patino double to start the second, and suddenly the Warriors were in a 2-0 hole to the highly-regarded Reivers.
"I was really proud of the guys staying in ball game," Torrez added. "We got down early, but we showed some composure and fought back to take the lead."
The lead Torrez spoke off didn't happen until the seventh after four consecutive empty frames by both squads. Hoaglund had settled in and was dealing and Iowa Western had elected to go to its bullpen in the middle of the fifth inning.
IHCC finally got to the Reiver pen in the seventh frame Harrison Cook plunked Noel Perez and Ricardo Van Grieken both to start the inning. Pierre-Olivier Boucher juiced the bases with a single to left. Dave Janssen got the Warriors on the board with a sacrifice fly to center to plate Perez.
The Reivers got a ground ball to get the second out, but a Ren Tachioka walk reloaded the bases and set the stage for Samuel Fortier's go-ahead two-RBI single up the middle to give the Warriors a 3-2 advantage.
IHCC took that lead to the bottom of the ninth with Hoaglund still on the bump. With the Warriors poised to spring the upset Dylan Robertson got the Reivers started with a ringing double to right and Palmer quickly tied it with a single to center which chased Hoaglund after a gutty 111-pitch performance.
Torrez would go to Dade Hensley in relief. Palmer put himself in scoring position by stealing second and moved to third when Patino grounded out. Trenton Harris delivered the knockout punch with a high chopper to third that easily brought home Palmer and the Reivers spilled out on the Doc Ross Field in celebration
"Things just didn't go our way late," Torrez said. "Maddux pitched a good game after giving up couple early. It's such a pleasure to watch our guys compete."
Hoaglund (7-1) took the loss with eight innings of work surrendering four runs, all earned on four strikeouts and three walks. IWCC's Jake Leger (3-1) was credited with the win pitching two inning of relief, giving up just one hit while fanning five.
Tachioka and Boucher led the Warrior offense in the opener with a pair of hits apiece. Arturo Rodriguez had a double for IHCC's only extra base hit.
Game two saw Iowa Western jump out to a 1-0 lead again, but there would be no rolling over by Indian Hills as the Warriors stood up with three of their own in the bottom half and added single tallies in the second and fourth to go up 5-1.
"The guys showed some fight to lose game one and then give up an early run and we answer with a three spot," Torrez said.
Warrior starter Nick Marshall (8-1) settled in after giving up the run in the opening frame to post five shutout frames before giving way to Gavin Hinckley who earned the save with three innings of relief. Both teams pushed one across in the eighth, but the Warriors would extend the season at minimum one more day.
C.J. Castillo led IHCC at the plate in game two with three hits and three runs scored in addition to starting a pair of nifty double plays on defense. Perez contributed a pair of doubles and knocked in two.
Saturday's game three begins at noon back at Doc Ross Field.
REGION XI CHAMPIONSHIP
BEST OF THREE
GAME ONE
Indian Hills 000 000 300 – 3 9 0
Iowa Western 110 000 002 – 4 9 0
Maddux Hoaglund, Dade Hensley (9) and Dave Janssen. Even O'Toole, Harrison Cook (6), Connor Mackay (7), Jake Leger (8) and Carter Wright.
W – Leger (3-1), L – Hoaglund (7-1).
DP – IW 1. LOB – IH 7, IW 5. 2B – Rodriguez, Patino, Robertson. 3B – Palmer. RBI - Fortier 2, Janssen, Harris, Palmer, Patino, Robertson. SAC – Janssen. HBP – Perez, Tachioka, Van Grieken, Kozal. GIDP – Ebest. SB - Tachioka, Harris, Palmer. CS – Boucher, Janssen, Kozal, Patino.
GAME TWO
Iowa Western 100 000 010 – 2 9 2
Indian Hills 310 100 01x – 6 8 0
Peyton Zabel, Braden Berry (5), Samson Holcomb (8) and Logan Jordan. Nick Marshall, Gavin Hinckley (7) and Dave Janssen.
W – Marshall (8-1), L – Zabel (8-2), SV – Hinckley (4).
E – Spoonemore 2. LOB – IW 6, IH 8. DP – IH 2. 2B – Patino, Robertson, Perez 2. 3B – Palmer. RBI – Jordan, Patino, Ebest, Perez 2, Rodriguez, Van Grieken 2. SAC – Patino, Fortier. GIDP – Huckstorf, Spoonemore. HBP – Boucher, Castillo, Janssen, Rodriguez. SB – Castillo, Tachioka. CS – Butler, Castillo.