NJCAA REGION 11 TOURNAMENT CENTRAL | UPDATED BRACKET
Centerville, IA – The Indian Hills Baseball team advanced to the championship game of the 2023 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Baseball Region 11 Tournament with a 10-6 win over No. 20 nationally ranked and top-seeded Iowa Western Community College on Saturday.
The Warriors move on to their third consecutive region championship series after erupting for a seven-run fourth inning to power past Iowa Western on Saturday at Pat Daugherty Field. The Warriors' win forced the Reivers to the elimination bracket where they defeated Southwestern Community College Saturday night to face a rematch with the Warriors on Sunday. The two clubs will meet at 12:00 PM with Indian Hills needing just one victory in the double-elimination tournament to move on to the NJCAA Midwest District Tournament.
Meeting for the sixth consecutive postseason, Iowa Western struck first against the Warriors with a run in the bottom half of the first and two more in the second for an early 3-0 advantage. Indian Hills, playing as the visiting team at its home park as the lower seed, got on the board in the third on an RBI single from Daniel Figueroa (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico/Leadership Christian Academy) and a run-scoring groundout from Raul Torres (Caguas, Puerto Rico/Leadership Christian Academy) to pull within one.
Working in relief, Andres Beltran (Delray Beach, FL / Atlantic) tossed a scoreless third inning to keep the Warriors within striking distance. Sophomore Sergio Chavez (Laredo, TX/Alexander) opened up the fourth inning with a leadoff double and scored on the next at bat, a double to right from Adrian Vargas (Caracas, Venezuela/Instituto Central de Educacion Ice) to tie the game. Dylan Sayles (Rockton, IL / Hononegah) gave Indian Hills its first lead of the ballgame two batters later with a two-run single through the right side.
The Warriors continued to push as Figueroa and Torres added RBI knocks. Chavez added a sacrifice fly late in the frame to give Indian Hills a 9-3 edge.
After a pair of Iowa Western runs, freshman Jason Schaaf (Las Vegas, NV/Palo Verde) relieved Beltran on the mound in the bottom half of the fourth and baffled the Reiver offense for 3.2 innings of work. The righty kept Iowa Western scoreless while allowing just one baserunner on a walk.
Iowa Western plated a run in the bottom of the eight, but Indian Hills responded with an RBI single from Merrick Mathews (Centerville, IA/Centerville). Sophomore closer Sam Hart (Highlands Ranch, CO/ThunderRidge) closed the door after inducing a game-ending double play to push the Warriors to the championship game.
Vargas, who went 3-4 in Friday's opening round game, finished Saturday's contest 3-5 at the dish. Miguel Salazar (Sentaines, Venezuela/San Luis), Ciro Benavides (Laredo, TX/Laredo, TX / Alexander), and Figueroa each added two hits to pace the Warrior offense.
Beltran earned the win on the mound to move to 3-1 on the year while Hart picked up his second save in as many days. The sophomore's 11 saves on the year are tied for second-most in the nation.
Saturday's win over the Reivers broke a 5-5 tie in the last 10 postseason meetings between the top two teams in the Iowa Community College Athletic Confernece. Dating back to the 2003 season, Indian Hills and Iowa Western have combined to win all 19 region titles during that span.
Sunday's action can be seen live on via GoHillsTV, the GoHillsTV Facebook Page, and the GoHillsTV Mobile App.
An if necessary game will follow 45 minutes after the conclusion of Sunday's first game.
Looking for Indian Hills Athletics information straight to your inbox? Subscribe to our newsletter and mobile alerts to receive news, scores, highlights, and more in real-time: INDIAN HILLS ATHLETICS NEWSLETTER
������ ������, ������������ �������� ��
— Indian Hills Baseball (@IHCCBaseball) May 13, 2023
Warriors are headed to the region championship after a 10-6 win over Iowa Western at Pat Daugherty Field.
We'll see you at 12:00 PM on Sunday! pic.twitter.com/2pS52Z49R0