Council Bluffs, IA – The Indian Hills Baseball team scored an upset of No. 7 Iowa Western Community College, upending the nationally ranked Reivers 7-5 in game one of Thursday's Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) matchup. The Reivers took the nightcap 3-1 in a nonconference tilt.
Taking on the Reivers at Doc Ross Field for the second time in eight games, the Warriors were forced to battle from behind in the opening game as Iowa Western plated three runs in the top of the second. Playing as the home team due to schedule changes, the Warriors got on the board in the bottom of the third as Ricardo Van Grieken (Merida, Venezuela/San Luis) doubled to drive in Diego Aragon (Fort Collins, CO/Fort Collins).
Starting pitcher Lukas Broske (West Bend, WI/West Bend West) held the Reivers scoreless before Dade Hensley (Mason, OH/Mason) took over in the fifth. The Warrior offense woke up the bottom of the sixth with a four-run inning to jump ahead. Merrick Mathews (Centerville, IA/Centerville) delivered an RBI single while Noah Butler (Houston, TX/Goose Creek Memorial) doubled to drive in two more for a 5-3 lead.
Iowa Western answered right back with two runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game, but it was Indian Hills who responded once again. In the bottom half of the seventh, Van Grieken scored on a fielder's choice before Mathews delivered another run-scoring base hit for the Warriors, scoring Tucker Ebest (Austin, TX/Lasa) for the game's final run.
Jack Payne took over on the mound for the final 2.1 innings and held the Reiver bats in check, allowing just one hit while striking out four batters. Payne improved to 6-1 overall on the year and lowered his season earned run average to 0.38.
"We did a good job fighting back after early deficits," stated head coach Matthew Torrez. "We executed with runners on at the end and Jack (Payne) did a good job holding their offense down late."
Van Grieken finished the game with a pair of hits with the double in the third serving as the COVID-sophomore's 100th career base hit. Van Grieken becomes the first Warrior to reach the 100-hit milestone since the 2017 season.
Gerardo Villarreal (Laredo, TX/United South) recorded his third multi-hit game in the team's last six contests. Mathews, Aragon, and James Dutton (Toronto, Ont/Forest Hill Collegiate) each added two hits apiece for the Warrior attack.
The two programs that battled in the 2021 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XI Championship put together display of quality baseball in the nightcap, this time in a pitcher's duel. After two scoreless frames to open the game, Iowa Western plated its first run in the top of the third. The Warriors answered immediately as Arturo Rodriguez (San Diego, CA/San Ysidro), making his first plate appearance of the year, doubled and scored on an error to tie the ballgame.
In his first start of the season, Nick Hays (Chaska, MN/Chaska) worked 4.1 innings to keep the Reiver bats quiet. YeongSu An (_) and Gercal Reyes Alvarado (Santo Domingo, DR/Fray Ramon Pane) kept the Reivers off the board heading into the sixth. Eventually the Reiver bats broke free and scored two in the top of the seventh to prevent the Warrior sweep.
"We had a couple guys in game two who have had limited innings this year do a good job on the mound, we just couldn't string together the hits we needed," Torrez added.
Indian Hills moved to 25-12 overall and 15-6 in the ICCAC while the Reivers moved to 33-8 overall and 18-3 in league play.
Indian Hills heads to Northeast Community College for a three-game conference series set to begin Sunday afternoon in Norfolk, NE.
MILESTONE! With a double to right field in the bottom of the 3rd inning at Doc Ross Field in Council Bluffs, @IHCCBaseball's Ricardo Van Grieken has collected his 100th hit in a Warrior uniform. Congrats, Ricky! ��#WeAreHills #WarriorNation pic.twitter.com/RDIyneyQvT
— IHCC Athletics (@IHCCAthletics) April 21, 2022