Norfolk, NE – Sophomores Jack Nelson (Zionsville, IN/Zionsville Community) and Daniel Figueroa (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico/Leadership Christian Academy) both surpassed career milestones in an afternoon conference split for the Indian Hills Baseball team. The Warriors took game one vs. Northeast Community College (NE) 13-3 before falling in the nightcap 8-7.
Nelson struck out 12 batters in a complete game effort to win the opener and reach the career 100-strikeout plateau. Figueroa added collected five total hits in the afternoon twinbill, including four in the opener to reach the career 100-hit milestone.
The Warriors move to 22-10 on the year and 13-5 in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) play while the Hawks move to 27-11 and 11-5 in league play. The Warriors are one game out of first-place in the latest conference standings.
Nelson's gem in the opener was backed by a strong offensive production, highlighted by Figueroa's presence at the top of the order. Figueroa scored the game's first run after connecting on a leadoff single, his milestone base hit, followed by two stolen bases and an RBI base hit from Logan Myers (Andover, MN/Andover). The Warriors poured it on with four runs in the second, including a RBI single from Figueroa and a run-scoring single from Merrick Mathews (Centerville, IA/Centerville).
Indian Hills pushed the lead to 9-0 through four as Nelson was on cruise control on the mound. Northeast got on the board with three runs in the fifth, two earned, but the southpaw struck out three over the final two frames to move to 5-2 on the year.
Nelson currently leads the ICCAC in wins (5), innings pitched (37.0), strikeouts (55), strikeouts/9 (13.38), and earned run average among qualified pitchers (3.16). With the 12 punchouts, Nelson now sits at 103 career strikeouts. The sophomore has now tossed two complete game victories in his last four outings, a span that includes 41 strikeouts in 23 innings of work.
Figueroa finished the opener 4-5 at the plate with four runs scored, two RBI, and three stolen bases. Raul Torres (Cauguas, Puerto Rico/Leadership Christian Academy) added three hits while Mathews added a pair as the top three hitters in the lineup went 9-13 with seven runs scored and six RBI.
Diamonds Cooper (Kansas City, MO/North Kansas City) and Ciro Benavides (Laredo, TX/Alexander) each added two hits in the win.
The Warriors struck first in game two as Cooper scored on a triple from Torres in the top half of the third, but the Hawks answered right back with a three-spot in the bottom half. Cooper proved to be the answer in the next frame with a three-run home run to center, his second longball of the year for 4-3 lead.
Northeast jumped back on top in the bottom of the fourth with two runs. The two sides traded runs in the sixth as Adrian Vargas (Caracas, Venezuela/Instituto Central de Educacion Ice) tripled and later scored. A two-run home from Mathews in the seventh scored Figueroa for a 7-6 advantage, but the Hawks answered with a run in each of the next two frames. The Warriors failed to convert over the final two innings and fell short in the nightcap.
With an additional hit in the nightcap, Figueroa is now batting a team-high .384 on the year, the fourth-best mark in the ICCAC. The sophomore's lifetime .365 batting average is currently the third-best mark in school history dating back to the 1994 season. With five runs scored on the day, Figueroa is also just one run shy of 100 for his career at Indian Hills.
Vargas, Cooper, and Miguel Salazar (Sentaines, Venezuela/San Luis) each tallied two hits in the loss for the Warriors.
With 12 more strikeouts from the pitching staff in game two, the Warriors upped their K/9 rate to 10.67 on the year, tops in the ICCAC and the 23rd best mark in the nation.
Indian Hills returns to the diamond with a road trip to Ellsworth Community College on April 18 for a single 9-inning ICCAC contest at 1:00 PM.
1?0?0? for No. 6!
— Indian Hills Baseball (@IHCCBaseball) April 16, 2023
With his first inning single today at Northeast, Daniel Figueroa joins the 100-hit club! The school's all-time stolen base leader owns a career .361 batting average. pic.twitter.com/vVnS0Ulflc