CENTERVILLE, IA – When you're winning, even the tough days seem a little bit easier.
Such is life currently for the Indian Hills baseball team, which is riding the wave of an 11-0 start to its season that includes a perfect ICCAC mark of 6-0 after two more victories yesterday against Southwestern, 4-0 and 8-0. It was a perfect blend of more stellar pitching in concert with timely hitting and steady defense. It seems that not even the extra duties that come with prepping a wet field for play to ensure games get played can get in the way of Warriors.
"I'm really proud of our team," beamed IHCC Head Coach Matt Torrez after the sweep. "Home games on days it rains can definitely be a long day. We arrive at the field at 7:15 a.m. and left the field at 7:15 p.m. Factor in field work, lunch, batting practice, two games and then more field work… it really is a test."
The unbeaten Warriors were up to the task as Nick Marshall turned in his third solid start in as many outings to run his record to 3-0. Marshall was one out from a complete-game shutout when Dade Hensley entered with two on in the bottom of the seventh to record the final out with a strikeout to earn the save.
"We got a great performance from Nick Marshall on the mound," Torrez added. "He continues to pound the strike zone, which we love to see."
Marshall fanned nine and gave up four hits and walked just one over his 6 2/3 innings.
All the offense Marshall would need came in the fifth inning when Diego Aragon scored on a Sam Fortier RBI-single. The big blow was delivered off the left-handed bat of Tucker Ebest as he crushed a three-run bomb to right to plate C.J. Castillo and Pier-Olivier Boucher to make it 4-0.
"We found a way to do the right things when it counted on a long day," Torrez said.
The Warriors four runs in the opener came across on just the benefit of five hits on the contest. Fortier, Castillo, Ebest, Noel Perez and Aragon provided the hits.
Game two saw a few more runs pushed across, but the hit total was identical as IHCC managed to score eight runs on five hits. The Warriors did have the benefit of drawing seven walks and had three players plunked with pitches to total ten extra baserunners.
The nightcap was just 3-0 in favor of the Warriors going to the bottom of the seventh in a scheduled nine-inning affair, but that's when IHCC broke the Spartans' back.
Two walks and two hit batsmen came home to roost as the Warriors scored five more on just two hits to trigger the 8-run rule after seven frames.
"We took advantage of some mistakes they made, and kept the pressure on them throughout the game," Torrez said. "The guys played hard all day after a long day on the field."
Gavin Hinckley got his first starting assignment of his career and didn't disappoint as he went four innings and struck out six. Arturo Rodriguez pitched the final three innings, striking out four, which qualified him for the save.
"That was four quality innings from Gavin," Torrez said. "Especially in his first career start, and Arturo tossed solid innings as well. Both of those guys play a big part in our bullpen on the weekends, so it was great to see them get extended innings."
Ricardo Van Grieken had two of IHCC's five hits and scored a run with two RBI. Castillo, Boucher and Rivera added the other hits, including a third-inning double from Boucher.
SWCC fell to 2-17 overall and 1-5 in the ICCAC with the losses.
Indian Hills will travel to Marshalltown for a four-game weekend set with the Tigers (6-10, 3-5) at Shawn Williams Field. First pitch on Saturday is set for 1 p.m. with Sunday's twinbill beginning at noon.
GAME ONE
Southwestern 000 000 0 – 0 4 2
Indian Hills 000 040 x – 4 5 1
WP – Nick Marshall (3-0), LP – Eric Desbois, SV – Dade Hensley.
(2B – Aragon; HR – Ebest; RBI – Ebest 3; SAC – Tachioka; HBP – Aragon, Rodriguez; SB – Fortier; CS – Perez).
GAME TWO
Southwestern 000 000 0 – 0 3 3
Indian Hills 001 101 5 – 8 5 0
WP – Gavin Hinckley (1-0), LP – Owen McClung, SV- Rodriguez
(2B – Boucher; RBI – Boucher, Castillo, Rivera, Tachioka 2, Van Grieken; SAC – Rivera; HBP – Boucher, Fortier, Tachioka; SB – Castillo, Fortier 3, Rivera