Centerville, IA – The Indian Hills Baseball team split an Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) doubleheader with Kirkwood Community College on Friday afternoon. The Warriors took game one 4-0 before falling in a thriller in game two, 8-7.
The Warriors moved to 22-10 overall and 12-5 in ICCAC play this year with the afternoon split at Pat Daugherty Field. COVID-Sophomore Douglas Rojas (__) tossed a complete game shutout to lead the Warriors in the opener. Indian Hills had an opportunity to take game two, but fell short in the bottom of the ninth inning to set the stage for a rubber match on Saturday afternoon.
The two teams will complete its three-game ICCAC series in Centerville on Saturday for a single nine-inning affair with first pitch set for 12:00 PM. Saturday's game is a part of Parent's Weekend and Sophomore Day at Pat Daugherty Field with a pregame cookout and ceremony recognizing 17 sophomores.
Rojas, the reigning ICCAC DI Pitcher of the Week, was stellar on the mound from start to finish. The southpaw scattered just three hits without allowing a walk on the day while striking out 10 batters for the second consecutive start.
Rojas has not allowed a run in 22 consecutive innings, a stretch that spans six appearances for the Warriors. With the complete game shutout, his second of the year, Rojas lowered his season earned run average to 1.69, the 10th best mark in the nation this year.
Rojas' performance allowed the Warriors to battle past the Eagles despite recording just one base hit in the opening game win. The Warriors took advantage of 10 Kirkwood walks and a pair of errors from the visiting team. Indian Hills scored a pair of runs in the second, one in the fourth, and one in the sixth to earn the win.
The offensive pace picked up in game two as the Eagles struck first with two runs in the top of the first inning. The Eagles extended their lead to 5-0 in the fifth before the Warriors answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning. James Dutton (Toronto, Ont/Forrest Hills Collegiate Institute) provided a two-run double with a shot off the left field wall to pull the Warriors within two, 5-3.
After a run in the top of the eighth to push the Kirkwood lead to 6-4, the Warriors put together a four-run frame in the bottom of the eighth to take its first lead of the ballgame. Diego Aragon (Fort Collins, CO/Fort Collins) ignited the offense with a two-run home run to right field while Gerardo Villarreal (Laredo, TX/United South) delivered the go-ahead base hit for a 7-6 lead.
The Eagles manufactured a pair of runs in the top of the ninth to regain the lead. The Warriors threatened in the bottom half of the ninth, loading the bases but eventually came up short to split the afternoon with the Eagles.
Aragon finished the game with a home run and a double while Jackson Romero (Fort Collins, CO/Fort Collins/Resurrection Christian) and Daniel Figueroa (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico/Leadership Christian Academy) each tallied three hits.
Jack Payne (San Antonio, TX/Clarke) made his first start on the mound this year and went four innings without allowing an earned run to lower his season earned run average to a team-best 0.42. Nick Hays (Chaska, MN/Chaska HS) struck out a pair of batters and allowed just one run in three innings of relief work.
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— Indian Hills Baseball (@IHCCBaseball) April 15, 2022
What a play by @JerryV1330 to put away @KCC_BSB in game one of today's @ICCACSports doubleheader.
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