Baseball @ Indian Hills Community College

Einertson to Speak at Baseball Banquet

2012-01-24T15:08:00.000-08:00

CENTERVILLE --- An Indian Hills Community College graduate who pitched for the New York Yankees will be the guest speaker for the annual IHCC baseball banquet on Thursday, February 2. The banquet will be held at the Manhattan Restaurant in Centerville.

Darrell Einertson was a pitcher on Indian Hills teams that played in the NJCAA World Series in 1992 and ’93. Einertson had graduated from Urbandale High School before going to IHCC and pitched at Cameron University and Iowa Wesleyan College after his two seasons with the Falcons.

He signed with the Yankees after being taken in the 11th round of the MLB Draft in 1995. After working his way up through the Yankees’ minor league system, Einertson made his major league debut in April 2000. He appeared in 11 games and posted a 3.55 ERA.

The Indian Hills baseball banquet will include dinner, an auction, the introduction of the 2012 IHCC baseball squad and remarks by Einertson. A social will begin at 6 p.m. with dinner at 7:00.

Tickets for the event are $15 each and can be purchased in advance at the IHCC Administration Building on the Centerville campus. Tickets will also be available at the door.

Ex-Falcon Kjeldgaard Protected by Brewers

2011-11-29T08:46:00.000-08:00

Centerville -- Former Indian Hills Community College baseball player Brock Kjeldgaard was recently added to the 40-man roster of the Milwaukee Brewers to insure that Kjeldgaard was not eligible to be taken in next month’s Rule 5 Draft.

In that draft, major league teams can select players who are not on other teams’ 40-man rosters if those players have been in their organization for at least four years. Kjeldgaard’s strong showing in two different leagues in 2011 apparently excited the Brewers about his potential.

The 25-year old Kjeldgaard was drafted by Milwaukee after two seasons at Indian Hills. He was taken in the 34th round of MLB’s 2006 amateur draft and began his pro career as a pitcher. But in 2008, the Brewers switched Kjeldgaard to first base, a move that has paid dividends for the four different minor league clubs he has played for over the past four seasons.

Kjeldgaard, a native of London, Ontario, Canada, slammed 24 homers and drove in 76 runs while splitting the past year between High-A Brevard County and Double-A Huntsville.

He got off to a sizzling start with 18 home runs in 65 games for Brevard County in the Florida State League, earning a promotion to the Double-A Southern League. Kjeldgaard still ended the year tied for 7th in homers in the Florida State League despite his limited time there.

Just before he moved up to Double-A, Kjeldgaard was named Player of the Week in the Florida State League three straight weeks.

At Indian Hills, Kjeldgaard was an All-Region player as a pitcher and also played first base and the outfield.

Baseball Reunion Planned

2011-09-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

CENTERVILLE --- Indian Hills Community College will celebrate 50 years of baseball on the college’s Centerville campus with a special reunion weekend October 21-22.

The event will include an opening reception, an alumni game, a golf tournament and a banquet with invitations for the weekend events sent to all former Indian Hills players.

The Indian Hills baseball program was started in 1961 and has enjoyed remarkable success in the past half-century. It’s hoped that players from all six different decades of IHCC baseball will return to share their memories of playing for the Falcons.

Indian Hills has made 11 trips to the NJCAA World Series including six appearances in a span of seven years in the 1990s.

Sixteen former IHCC players have made it to the Major Leagues and over 100 ex-Falcons have signed professional contracts.

Former Indian Hills pitcher Justin Berg has appeared in eight games with the Chicago Cubs this season, making it an amazing 37 years in a row that at least one Indian Hills baseball alum has appeared in a MLB game.

The reunion weekend will start with a reception at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, October 21, at the Barn on the IHCC Centerville campus. Saturday’s activities will begin with an alumni baseball game at 9:00 a.m. at Pat Daugherty Field, followed by a golf tournament at The Preserve at Honey Creek Resort with a noon shotgun start.

The day will conclude with a reception and banquet, also at Honey Creek, starting at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday evening.

For more information on the baseball 50-year reunion, contact IHCC coach Cam Walker at cam.walker@indianhills.edu or at (641) 856-2143, ext. 2212. For reservations, please contact Kathy Ewing at Honey Creek Resort at kathye@honeycreekresort.com or at (641) 724-1417.

Falcon Recruit Honored as POY

2011-06-21T06:47:00.000-07:00

Centerville -- Indian Hills Community College baseball recruit Tyler Hermann has been named the high school Player of the Year in Wisconsin. Hermann, who signed a national letter-of-intent with Indian Hills last winter, was selected as the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association state player of the year after leading his Eau Claire North team to its first state championship.

Hermann also garnered the District I Player of the Year honor.

Hermann was 2-for-3 with two doubles and three runs scored in North’s state title game win and was a first-team all-state pick as an infielder. As a senior, Hermann hit .569 with 30 runs, four doubles, a triple, seven homers and 33RBIs.

That performance followed a junior season in which Hermann batted .479 with six home runs and 29 RBIs. He also went 3-1 with a 2.38 ERA as a pitcher.

Ex-Falcon Whitmore Taken in MLB Draft

2011-06-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

Centerville -- Travis Whitmore, a former all-region baseball player at Indian Hills Community College, was chosen by the San Diego Padres on the final day of the Major League Baseball Draft. He was the Padres’ 35th-round pick.

Whitmore played the past two seasons at the University of Pittsburgh and helped lead the Panthers to the Big East championship both years. This season, he played in all 56 games, including 55 starts at second base, and batted .336. Whitmore led Pitt in at-bats (211), stolen bases (12) and sacrifice flies (9). He also had four homers and 41 RBIs and tied for second on the team with 71 hits.

As a junior, Whitmore hit .369 with three homers and a team-leading six triples to go along with 46 RBIs. He finished his two-year career at Pitt with 10 triples, ranking third all-time.

A Burlington native, Whitmore enjoyed two solid seasons at Indian Hills. He batted over .300 both years -- .389 as a sophomore following a .301 freshman season. He was named to the all-region and all-district teams as a soph after leading the squad in eight offensive categories.

Whitmore played both first base and third base with the Falcons before settling in as the regular second baseman at Pittsburgh.

Panthers’ head coach Joe Jordano said, “I believe Travis is versatile enough to play a few different positions and that adds to his value. He is a talented player and will do a great job at the next level.”

Indian Hills had two former players, Bill Schroeder and Thomas Pereira, drafted last year and another ex-Falcon, Nick Nordgren, signed as a free agent.

There are five former IHCC players playing in the minor leagues. They are Irving Falu, Ruben Gotay, Justin Berg, Brock Kjeldgaard and Ray Kruml. Berg has had two separate stints this season in the Chicago Cubs’ bullpen.

Falcons Place Nine on All-Region Squads

2011-06-01T07:16:00.000-07:00

Centerville -- Indian Hills placed nine players on the All-Region 11 baseball team.

Freshman infielder Jordan Patton (Des Moines) and sophomore outfielder Adam Coleman (Bowling Green, Mo.) were the Falcons’ first-team picks.

Patton enjoyed an outstanding freshman season playing both shortstop and second base, hitting .366 and leading the team in stolen bases with 10. His 52 hits and 38 runs scored were both second on the team Coleman, the everyday center fielder, was the team-leader in runs (49), hits (54), walks (25) and on-base percentage (.432). He had three homers and 30 RBIs. Coleman was a second-team all-region choice as a freshman.

Named to the second All-Region team this year were sophomores Mitch Osnowitz (Bloomington, Ill.) and Francisco Perez (Juncos, Puerto Rico) and freshmen Yuliecer Arias (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) and Cashtyn DeLeeuw (Grimshaw, Alberta, Canada).

Osnowitz, a transfer, made the most of his only season at IHCC by providing a big bat in the middle of the lineup. He posted team highs in doubles (12), triples (3), homers (9), RBIs (40), total bases (95), and sacrifice flies (5) while playing in all 52 games and starting all but one game.

Perez, another transfer, hit .302 with one homer and 25 RBIs while starting 40 games, most of them behind the plate. A middle infielder, Arias had a .316 batting average with 10 doubles, four home runs and 28 RBIs. He was third in runs scored with 36.

DeLeeuw came on strong in the second half of the season. He had a record of 7-2 and won five straight decisions from April 14 - May 8. The righthander had an ERA of 4.34 and struck out 52 batters in 45 2/3 innings.

Honorable mention all-region choices from IHCC were sophomore Kevin Vazquez (Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico) and freshmen Kelvin Brito (Yabucoa, Puerto Rico) and Miguel Sanchez (Yauco, Puerto Rico).

Vazquez made the all-region team for the second straight year; he was a first-team pick in 2010. He was 5-3 with a 3.42 ERA this spring. Brito was another player who came on strong in the second half of the season. He raised his batting average to .298 and supplied five homers and 24 RBIs as the regular third baseman. Sanchez, an outfielder, wound up the year with a .347 average and hit three home runs with a team-leading .583 slugging percentage.

Season Ends in Loss to Marshalltown

2011-05-17T12:18:00.001-07:00

Muscatine, IA -- Indian Hills couldn't duplicate its earlier success against Marshalltown CC and saw its season come to an end on Monday in the Region 11 postseason tournament.

The Tigers (29-22), who had lost 5-1 to IHCC in Friday's opening round, avenged that loss with a 9-3 thumping of the Falcons in an elimination game in the tourney. Marshalltown then lost to Iowa Western, 9-1, in the following game as Iowa Western won its 7th straight Region 11 title.

Marshalltown ran off to a 5-0 lead against Indian Hills' starter Adam Peters. They scored four times in the 3rd and added a single run in the 4th.

MCC scored at least one run in the 3rd-through-6th innings and had at least one hit in every inning but the 2nd. They had 16 hits in all.

Meanwhile, Indian Hills (29-28) had trouble solving MCC freshman pitcher Blake Brommel who allowed only three hits in the first eight innings. Brommel gave up back-to-back singles to Adam Coleman and Mitch Osnowitz to start the 9th and was lifted in favor of Christopher Stout, who got the final three outs.

IHCC had as many hits, three, in the 9th as they had in the previous eight frames. And no one in the lineup had more than one hit for Indian Hills.

Five different players had multiple-hit games for MCC with Miko Bernstine, Ben Lott, Bryce Manning and Richard Swan getting three hits each.

Peters was charged with five runs in taking the loss for the Falcons. Reliever Kevin Day gave up four runs in 3 1/3 innings.

Fast Start Propels IWCC to Tourney Win Over Falcons

2011-05-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

Muscatine, IA -- Iowa Western jumped out to an 8-0 lead after an inning and a half and went on to defeat Indian Hills, 14-4, at the Region 11 tournament on Sunday.

The game was delayed for a day by rain, and the Reivers wasted no time in taking the early advantage. They scored five times against IHCC starter Cashtyn DeLeeuw in the top of the 1st with Levi Meyer capping the inning with a grand slam.

Iowa Western tacked on three more runs in the 2nd.

Indian Hills got on the scoreboard with a pair of runs in their half of the 2nd. Miguel Sanchez doubled home the first run and the second scored on a groundout by David Kroger.

Sophomore righthander Caleb Phillips came out of the Indian Hills bullpen and was outstanding, shutting out the Reivers for the next six innings. But the IHCC bats weren't able to do much against Iowa Western's all-region lefty, Taylor Eikenberry.

The score stayed 8-2 until Iowa Western posted six runs in the top of the 9th after Phillips had been replaced by Tyler Sparger.

Indian Hills picked up two runs in the bottom of the 9th on an infield grounder by Mitch Osnowitz and a run-scoring single by Carter Sherban.

Iowa Western pounded out 21 hits in the win.

Great Start for Cook and Falcons in Region Tourney

2011-05-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

Muscatine, IA -- Outstanding pitching by Matt Cook and some timely hitting propelled Indian Hills to an opening-game win in the Region 11 postseason tournament on Friday.

Cook went eight innings, allowing only six hits and an unearned run, and the IHCC offense got three big insurance runs in the bottom of the 8th in a 5-1 victory at Tom Bruner Field.

The win moves Indian Hills into a matchup against regular-season conference champ Iowa Western in the second round.

Marshalltown had a good chance to score first, putting runners on the corners with one out in the 1st inning. But Cook picked T.J. Flanagan off first base and he was tagged out in a rundown. With Flanagan retreating to first base in the rundown, Miko Bernstine, the runner on 3rd broke for the plate. IHCC first baseman Mitch Osnowitz tagged out Flanagan and then threw home where catcher Francisco Perez applied the tag on Bernstine to complete the inning-ending double play.

Indian Hills took the lead with two runs in the 3rd. David Kroger led off with a single and went to third on a double by Jordan Patton. Adam Coleman's groundout scored Kroger and Patton scored on a passed ball.

MCC cut the lead in half with an unearned run in the 4th. Zach Glasgow's single brought in Jordan McCoy, who had reached on an error.

But that was all the Tigers, who brought a team batting average of .323 into the tourney, could muster against Cook. The sophomore righthander fanned six and walked only one in his longest stint as a Falcon.

IHCC stranded runners in scoring position in both the 6th and 7th innings, then finally got some insurance runs in the 8th.

After Cook had induced a ground ball from McCoy with the potential tying run at second in the top of the 8th, Indian Hills tallied three times in the bottom of the inning.

The first run scored on an error and the last two on a two-out, two-strike single by Perez. Perez's hit came after Yuliecer Arias had kept the inning alive with his own two-out, two-strike hit, a double just inside the first-base bag.

Adam Coleman was the only Falcon with more than one hit -- he had two singles -- and five different players scored a run.

FInal Tuneup Results in Easy Win

2011-05-10T05:21:00.000-07:00

Trenton, Mo. -- The Indian Hills Falcons had one last chance to get ready for this weekend's Region 11 postseason tourney and the Falcons took advantage of the opportunity with an 11-0 pounding of North Central Missouri on Monday.

Four IHCC pitchers combined to limit the Pirates to just two hits and they struck out 12. Delvin Perez, Jamil Caballero and David Kroger each pitched two innings and Dylan Badura threw the 7th. Both Caballero and Kroger struck out four in their two innings of hitless relief.

Offensively, the Falcons were quiet at the start, going down in order in the first two innings.

Licio Tamburlini led off the 3rd with a home run for the first IHCC baserunner. After a scoreless 4th inning, the visitors broke the game open with a six-run 5th. Seven straight batters reached base in the inning. The only extra-base hit was a three-run double by Matt Cook.

Kelvin Brito doubled home Adam Coleman, who had doubled, in the 6th and the Falcons tacked on three more runs in the 7th on a sacrifice fly by Guillermo Cruz and a two-run single by Colin Bates.

Brito and Tamburlini each had two hits and Coleman scored twice for Indian Hills.

The win ups IHCC's season record to 28-26. They will square off against Marshalltown CC in the first round of the regional tournament at 5:00 this Friday afternoon in Muscatine.

Split Finishes Out Home Schedule

2011-05-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

Centerville, Ia. -- A couple of late rallies prevented Indian Hills from taking all four games in a weekend series with MCC-Longview at Pat Daugherty Field. Longview's late-game runs came in the second game of the two doubleheaders.

On Saturday, the Falcons produced some late-game heroics of their own, scoring twice in the bottom of the 7th to win 4-3 before Longview pushed across three runs in the top of the 6th of the nightcap to earn a split with a 6-5 win.

The only lopsided game of the series was Sunday's opener, won by the Falcons 9-3. Again, Longview got even for the day with a two-run 7th to win 6-4 in game two.

Francisco Perez won the first game for the Falcons on Saturday with a single to drive in Mitch Osnowitz in the 7th inning. Kelvin Brito had walked with the bases loaded to force in the tying run immediately before Perez's walk-off hit.

Brito also had an RBI-single in the 4th and a solo homer in the 6th, driving in three of the four IHCC runs.

Matt Cook started and was lifted with one out in the 7th after Longview broke a 2-all tie with a single run. Cook struck out seven, walked five and gave up six hits in his 6 1/3 innings. Dylan Badura got the last two outs in the top of the 7th and got credit for the victory when his teammates rallied in the bottom of the inning.

Adam Coleman joined Brito and Perez with two-hit games for IHCC.

Longview erased a 5-3 deficit in the second game with three runs against Falcons' reliever Caleb Phillips in the 6th inning. Adam Peters had started and he gave up four hits and a pair of unearned runs in four innings.

The Falcons started fast with a two-run homer by Osnowitz and a solo blast by Brito in the 1st inning.

Jordan Patton singled home a run in the 2nd and the other Indian Hills runs scored on an error. Patton and Brito each had two hits and Brito added two RBIs to give him five in the twinbill.

Indian Hills used a 13-hit attack to take Sunday's first game. Yuliecer Arias slammed a pair of homers -- a leadoff shot in the 2nd and a two-run blow in the 5th.

Osnowitz had three doubles and scored three runs and Brito and Carter Sherban had two hits each. Sherban produced a two-run single in the 3rd and an RBI-hit in the 5th.

Cashtyn DeLeeuw went the first five innings and got the win. Kevin Day and Tyler Sparger finished up with an inning of relief apiece. Sparger inherited a bases-loaded jam in the 7th and punched out the side to nail down the win.

But again, the Falcons had trouble closing out the visitors for a sweep.

Indian Hills took a 4-2 lead after three innings. Longview tied the game up against starter Kevin Vazquez with two runs in the 4th and won it with two in the 7th against reliever Shaun Dean.

The Falcons were held to only five hits -- two each by Patton and Licio Tamburlini. Brito kept up his hot hitting with a single and a run scored. Sherban drove in one run and Tamburlini two.

After a leadoff hit by Tamburlini in the 4th, Indian Hills did not have another hit and only one baserunner.

Indian Hills will take a 27-26 overall record into their final regular season game at North Central Missouri on Monday. The postseason Region 11 tourney begins Friday in Muscatine. The Falcons will play Marshalltown CC in a first-round matchup at 5pm.

Vazquez Pitches IHCC to Split

2011-05-05T05:41:00.000-07:00

Cedar Rapids, IA -- A strong pitching effort by sophomore Kevin Vazquez allowed Indian Hills to gain a split in Wednesday's baseball doubleheader with Kirkwood CC.

Vazquez threw a complete-game six-hitter in game two and his teammates scored five runs in the 5th inning to pick up a 6-1 win. Kirkwood pushed across a run with two outs in the bottom of the 7th to take the opener, 6-5.

Vazquez was in control throughout, needing only 66 pitches in his route-going effort. He struck out only one and his defense backed him with near-flawless play, committing only one error.

It was 1-0 in favor of the Falcons going into the 5th inning. The first five batters reached base on four singles and an error and all five eventually scored. Adam Coleman's two-run single was one of the big hits in the inning.

Leadoff hitter Jordan Patton singled in one of the runs in the big inning and also singled in the other IHCC run in the 3rd. Miguel Sanchez had hits in both the 3rd and 5th innings and Francisco Perez scored two runs.

Indian Hills jumped out to a 4-0 lead after an inning and a half in the first game. Mitch Osnowitz walked with the bases-loaded and Perez singled home a run in a two-run 1st. Coleman had a run-scoring triple for one of the two runs in the 2nd.

The Eagles scored three runs in the 2nd against Falcons' starter Cashtyn DeLeeuw. After Indian Hills added a run when Carter Sherban singled home Osnowitz, who had doubled, Kirkwood tied it with two runs in the bottom of the 5th, chasing DeLeeuw in the process.

Kirkwood's winning tally in the bottom of the 7th was scored off IHCC reliever Kevin Day, who took the loss.

Coleman had three hits and scored two runs for the Falcons.

Indian Hills (25-24) will host MCC-Longview in doubleheaders this Saturday and Sunday at Pat Daugherty Field.

Big Weekend Allows IHCC to Finish Second

2011-05-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

Centerville, IA -- Indian Hills went into the weekend knowing that three wins in the four-game series with Marshalltown CC would enable the Falcons to move past the Tigers and into second place in the conference standings.

When MCC won Saturday's first game, 10-8, it meant the Falcons would need to win the next three games. And that's exactly what coach Cam Walker's team did. They used a four-run 4th inning to come back and win the second game on Saturday, 5-3, then took both games on Sunday, 12-11 and 11-1 in five innings.

The results mean Indian Hills winds up the league schedule with an 11-5 mark, one game ahead of Marshalltown. The Falcons are 24-23 overall with three non-conference doubleheaders remaining in the regular season.

The best pitching effort of the weekend was turned in by IHCC's Matt Cook in Sunday's second game. After his teammates had pulled out game one with a run in the bottom of the 7th, Cook was dominant, giving up only two hits and a walk and fanning three.

The offense started fast with five runs in the 1st inning, using three hits and four walks and batting around against MCC starter Jackson Mills. Francisco Perez and Coleton Wilson had consecutive doubles to end the inning.

Mitch Osnowitz had an RBI-single and Carter Sherban a sacrifice fly for two runs in the 2nd and IHCC ended the game by the 10-run rule with four more in the 5th. Adam Coleman's single provided the 11th run.

Coleman had two hits and Jordan Patton two RBIs.

Guillermo Cruz's sacrifice fly drove in Wilson with the winning run in the first game Sunday.

IHCC had another big first inning, scoring six times. The Falcons led 8-5 before MCC tallied five runs in the 6th, chasing starter Adam Peters. Jordan Piche finished up in the 6th and got the win, despite giving up the tying run in the top of the 7th.

Indian Hills answered the Tigers' five-run top of the 6th with three runs in the bottom of the inning on a bases-loaded triple by Kelvin Brito. That gave IHCC a short-lived 11-10 lead. Cruz's sac fly the next inning allowed the Falcons to escape with the win.

Game two on Saturday featured solid pitching by starter Cashtyn DeLeeuw and relievers Caleb Phillips and Piche and a four-run inning that was capped by a two-run homer by Colin Bates.

DeLeeuw went the first five innings, giving up only four hits and one earned run. After Phillips got two outs in the 6th, Piche got the final four outs and the save.

Yuliecer Arias and Brito had two-hit games for the Falcons and five different players scored a run.

MCC's lone win came despite a six-run bottom of the 7th by the Falcons in Saturday's first game.

David Kroger and Coleman had back-to-back doubles to start the inning, and Perez and Arias both singled. Osnowitz had a three-run homer and Brito followed with a solo shot to make it six straight hits and bring IHCC to within 10-8, but the next three hitters were retired.

Marshalltown scored at least one run in each of the first six innings to build their 10-2 lead against starter Kevin Vazquez and Kevin Day.

Perez had three hits and Coleman scored three runs for the Falcons.

Perez had three singles for the Falcons, who were outhit 14-10.

Indian Hills plays a doubleheader at Kirkwood on Wednesday and plays consecutive twinbills this weekend against MCC-Longview.

SCC Pitching Stymies Falcons

2011-04-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

West Burlington, IA -- SCC's Kurtis Van Ness faced just one batter over the minimum in pitching the Blackhawks to an 8-1 win over Indian Hills on Thursday.

Van Ness fanned eight, didn't walk anyone and allowed only a 3rd-inning run as the Blackhawks avenged an earlier loss to Indian Hills in Centerville.

Adam Peters was the starter and loser for IHCC.

The Falcons will battle Marshalltown CC in a four-game series at Pat Daugherty Field in Centerville this weekend.

Falcons Take Two From ECC

2011-04-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

Marshalltown, IA -- In a doubleheader that was moved to Marshalltown because Ellsworth's diamond is under repair, Indian Hills took a pair of games from Ellsworth Monday, winning 4-2 and 6-0.

Six different IHCC pitchers combined to give up only 11 hits and two runs in the sweep. Kevin Vazquez got the win in relief in the opener; Cashtyn DeLeeuw was outstanding in teaming with Caleb Phillips in the second-game shutout.

DeLeeuw went the first six innings and gave up three hits. He walked one and struck out nine. Phillips added two K's in his scoreless 7th inning.

Colin Bates homered and singled for the Falcons while Adam Coleman and David Kroger also provided two hits. Mitch Osnowitz had a two-run single in the 1st and walked with the bases loaded in the 2nd for another RBI. Bates and Kroger scored two runs apiece.

In the first game, Indian Hills broke a 2-2 tie when Osnowitz doubled home Yuliecer Arias in the 6th inning. An insurance run scored on an error.

Vazquez relieved starter Dylan Badura in the 3rd and pitched two-hit ball for 4 1/3 innings. Jordan Piche got a save with two shutout innings. The game was scheduled for nine innings.

Indian Hills now gets ready for a big four-game series with Marshalltown this weekend that will decide second place in the conference standings. There will be two games Saturday and two more Sunday at Pat Daugherty Field.

A Win and a Loss for IHCC in Missouri

2011-04-25T10:37:00.000-07:00

Lee's Summit, MO -- The Indian Hills Falcons traveled to Missouri for a pair of games on Saturday and came home with a split. The Falcons defeated MCC-Maple Woods, 9-2, then lost to MCC-Longview, 10-8.

The Falcons jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the opening game and cruised to the victory. Carter Sherban had his second straight three-hit game that included a double, a homer and four RBIs. Yuliecer Arias, Miguel Sanchez and Guillermo Cruz each had two hits and Arias drove in a pair of runs.

Matt Cook worked six innings and got the win for IHCC. He fanned eight. Shaun Dean finished up.

Against Longview, the Falcons went ahead with a five-run 5th, only to see Longview regain the lead with four runs in the bottom of the inning. Indian Hills scored once in the top of the 7th to cut the deficit to 10-8 and had the bases loaded with only one out. But back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat and the game.

Sherban had a two-run homer and Jordan Patton, Arias, Mitch Osnowitz and Sanchez had two-hit games.

Caleb Phillips was the losing pitcher in relief. All three runs he allowed after taking over for Adam Peters in the 5th were unearned.

Offense Comes to Life in 2nd Game as IHCC Splits

2011-04-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

Fort Dodge, IA -- After mustering only two hits in the opener in a 2-0 loss, Indian Hills used an 18-hit attack to gain a split in a doubleheader with Iowa Central on Thursday.

IHCC scored in every inning but one, had five players with multiple-hit games and eight players who drove in a run in routing the Tritons, 11-2, in the second game.

The story of the first game was Iowa Central's freshman pitcher Dalton Cowen. He gave up a leadoff double in the 1st to the Falcons' Jordan Patton and then didn't allow another hit until Francisco Perez singled with two outs in the 7th. The hit by Perez put the tying runs on base, but Cowen got a groundout to second to end the game.

Iowa Central scored their runs in the 4th against IHCC starter Jordan Piche on a two-out, two-run single. Both runs were unearned. Piche only gave up three hits and didn't walk anyone while striking out four.

Indian Hills broke open a close game in game two with two runs in the 5th and then added three runs in both the 6th and 7th innings. Patton had a four-hit game for the Falcons, Carter Sherban had three hits and Adam Coleman, Miguel Sanchez and David Kroger had two hits each.

Kevin Day was the beneficiary of the offensive outburst for Indian Hills. Day threw a five-hitter with three K's in a complete-game effort.

Falcons Split With Ellsworth

2011-04-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Centerville -- In a doubleheader that was delayed a day by rain, Indian Hills and Ellsworth divided a pair of games at Pat Daugherty Field on Wednesday. The Falcons used strong pitching by Cashtyn DeLeeuw and Delvin Perez to take game one, 5-1, but the Panthers' pitching was equally as good in the second game with Ellsworth winning, 4-2. The loss ended a seven-game IHCC winning streak.

Indian Hills opened the scoring in the first game with three runs in the 3rd and tacked on two more in the 4th. Francisco Perez, Miguel Sanchez and Coleton Wilson had consecutive run-scoring hits in the 3rd. Matt Cook doubled home a run and Mitch Osnowitz followed with a sacrifice fly the next inning.

Meanwhile, DeLeeuw had "a very good outing," according to coach Cam Walker, "hitting his spots well and controlling the Ellsworth offense for five innings." DeLeeuw didn't walk anyone and struck out seven, allowing only four hits.

Perez gave up only two hits and an unearned run in two innings of relief.

Yuliecer Arias, Jordan Patton and Sanchez all had two-hit games and Arias scored twice.

The Falcons' offense was quiet in the nightcap. They were held to eight hits which included a solo homer by Arias and an RBI-double by Kelvin Brito. Brito added another double and Patton had two hits, but IHCC was limited to single runs in the 4th and 6th innings.

Dylan Badura started and took the loss for the Falcons. In four innings, he allowed five hits and all four ECC runs. David Kroger provided three innings of scoreless relief.

The split leaves the Falcons with a 17-19 record. They go to Fort Dodge to play a doubleheader with Iowa Central on Thursday.

Four Wins Have Falcons Back on Track

2011-04-19T05:38:00.000-07:00

Muscatine, IA -- Indian Hills has played three four-game series in conference play this spring and all have resulted in sweeps. Two of the sweeps have been in the Falcons' favor, including four wins in the past two days against league foe Muscatine CC.

Those wins served to cancel out the previous weekend's four losses to league leader Iowa Western. And they improved IHCC's Region 11 record to 8-4 and overall mark to 16-18.

Indian Hills and Muscatine were forced to play a doubleheader Monday after rain on Saturday pushed back the start of the series.

A two-run pinch-hit homer in the top of the 10th by Miguel Sanchez in the second game allowed the Falcons to finish off the sweep, for the day and the series. They won game two 8-6 after a 6-1 victory in the first game.

Sanchez' homer made a winner of reliever Caleb Phillips, who pitched three innings of three-hit ball with five K's.

Matt Cook started for the Falcons and turned the game over with a one-run lead to Jordan Piche who had finished both games on Sunday. But Muscatine pushed across the tying run to send the game to extra innings.

Each team scored a run in the 9th and Sanchez sent the Falcons back home to Centerville happy with his roundtripper in the 10th.

The Falcons won despite being outhit, 15-8. Jordan Patton homered and had two hits and Francisco Perez also had two hits for IHCC.

Indian Hills scored single runs in each of the first four innings to take a 4-0 lead. The Cardinals battled back and finally tied it in the 7th.

Monday's opener featured a dominant pitching performance by IHCC's Adam Peters. The sophomore righthander allowed only a first-inning home run to Jimmy Risi, scattered six hits, didn't walk anybody and fanned five.

The Falcons snapped a 1-all tie with a run in the 3rd and then put the game away with four in the 4th. Adam Coleman had a double and a homer and drove in three. Patton and Cook also had two-hit games.

Indian Hills claimed Sunday's opener in their final at bat, winning 4-3. A Mitch Osnowitz sacrifice fly drove in the game-winner. Osnowitz had hit a mammoth home run in the 4th to tie the score at 3. Kelvin Brito accounted for the rest of the IHCC scoring with a two-run homer in the 2nd.

The winning rally in the 7th started when MCC's right fielder lost a shallow fly ball in the sun. Two infield singles loaded the bases and Osnowitz's long fly ball to right brought in the game-winning tally.

Kevin Vazquez went the first six innings for the Falcons and got the win. Piche nailed down the victory.

Vazquez gave up two first-inning runs on four hits, but settled down after that, giving up only one additional run and three hits over the next five frames.

The second-game win, by an 8-5 score, included the go-ahead run in the 6th and two insurance runs, both unearned, in the 7th. The eventual game-deciding run came after Coleman was hit by a pitch and scored on a double off the center field fence by Matt Cook.

Indian Hills grabbed a 5-0 lead after 2 1/2 innings. The Cardinals plated four runs in the 3rd, chasing starter Tyler Sparger, and tied the game on a sacrifice fly in the 4th.

Dylan Badura, the third of four IHCC pitchers, got the win. He threw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Piche notched his second save of the day by pitching the 7th.

The conference sweep by Indian Hills matches one they had against Southwestern to begin league play. The Falcons are scheduled to play a non-conference doubleheader at Ellsworth CC on Tuesday.

Cook Brothers Honored in Canada

2011-04-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

Dresden, Ontario, Canada -- Twin brothers Matt and Justin Cook, a current Indian Hills baseball player and a former Falcon, were honored this past weekend in their hometown in Canada.

The Cook brothers were saluted as athletes of the year at the Dresden Sports Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony.

Matt Cook is a redshirt sophomore at Indian Hills where he is one of the top starting pitchers and a regular in the lineup when he's not pitching for the Falcons. His batting average was around .300 heading into the weekend and he is among the team leaders in homers and RBIs.

Justin Cook graduated from Indian Hills last May after playing two years for the Falcons. He is now at Texas Southern University where he has a .328 batting average, leads the team in doubles with 12 and has 18 RBIs. Justin has also appeared in 11 games as a pitcher for the Tigers.

IHCC Wallops SCC

2011-04-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

Centerville -- For the second day in a row on Thursday, the Indian Hills Falcons ended a scheduled nine-inning game with a walk-off home run in the 7th inning. Mitch Osnowitz slammed his 6th homer of the spring leading off the 7th and that ended IHCC's game with Southeastern, the Falcons claiming a 14-4 win.

The day before, Adam Coleman's home run put the finishing touch on an 11-1 win over North Central Missouri.

Coleman had another perfect day at the plate against SCC. After going 5-for-5 in the North Central Missouri game, Coleman singled twice, doubled, was hit by a pitch and walked against Southeastern. That means the sophomore outfielder has been on base in each of his last 10 plate appearances.

Coleman scored four runs and Osnowitz drove in four as the Falcons, who stopped an eight-game losing skid on Wednesday, improved their record to 12-18.

IHCC didn't waste any time getting their offense rolling against the Blackhawks. They batted around in the first inning with the first five hitters all reaching safely. Yuliecer Arias doubled in the first run and Osnowitz had a bases-loaded two-run single.

SCC scored twice against Falcons starter Cashtyn DeLeeuw in the top of the 4th and the Falcons answered with two in the bottom of the inning on a run-scoring single by Arias and a sacrifice fly by Osnowitz.

Indian Hills sent nine batters to the plate and scored five times in the 5th on four hits and two walks. Arias and Coleton Wilson each doubled.

Three more runs scored in the 6th on a two-run double by Coleman and a sacrifice fly by Arias.

Leadoff hitter Guillermo Cruz had three hits and scored three runs.

David Kroger pitched two innings in relief of DeLeeuw.

Indian Hills is scheduled to play conference doubleheaders against Muscatine CC in Muscatine on Saturday and Sunday.

Streak is Over as Falcons Rip North Central

2011-04-14T09:42:00.001-07:00

Centerville -- Indian Hills snapped an eight-game losing streak with an 11-1 rout of North Central Missouri at Pat Daugherty Field on Wednesday.

The Falcons turned around their fortunes of late, thanks to two big innings and solid pitching by three hurlers.

Starter Matt Cook took a no-hitter into the 5th inning and was lifted after allowing his only hit. He was charged with the lone Pirates' run and struck out three while walking only one. Relievers Shaun Dean and Adam Peters finished up. Dean gave up two hits in 1 2/3 innings and Peters fanned two in his only inning.

The IHCC offense got started right away with hits by the first four batters in the lineup. Guillermo Cruz, Adam Coleman and Yuliecer Arias had consecutive singles and Mitch Osnowitz tripled. Osnowitz's hit scored Arias and Kelvin Brito drove in Osnowitz with a sacrifice fly to make it a four-run inning.

Coleman, who went 5-for-5 on the day, singled home David Kroger, who had drawn a leadoff walk, in the 2nd.

The Falcons erupted for five runs in the 6th. There were six hits in the inning including a two-run triple by Coleton Wilson and Coleman's second of two doubles.

Coleman then ended the game in the bottom of the 7th with a solo home run.

Indian Hills will host Southeastern CC in one nine-inning game on Thursday.

Falcons Lose at DMACC

2011-04-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

Boone, IA -- DMACC jumped out to a 7-1 lead after three innings and went on to defeat Indian Hills, 8-2, on Tuesday. The loss was the eighth in a row for Indian Hills as the Falcons drop to 10-18 overall.

Offense has been a problem in the current losing streak for the Falcons and it was again against the Bears. Indian Hills managed only seven hits and has now scored a total of nine runs in its last five games.

The Falcons took a 1-0 lead after a half-inning of play when Mitch Osnowitz drove in Jordan Patton with a single. IHCC's defense struggled through the early innings, committing three errors that led to four unearned runs. Starter Caleb Phillips gave way to Dylan Badura in the 2nd inning. Kevin Day and Jordan Piche also saw action on the mound for Indian Hills with the four hurlers combining for nine strikeouts.

Osnowitz had a sacrifice fly to drive home Yuliecer Arias with the other IHCC run in the 6th. Arias had a single, double and triple, the only Falcon with more than one hit.

Indian Hills has home doubleheaders the next two days (Wednesday and Thursday) against North Central Missouri and Southeastern CC.

Iowa Western Gets Series Sweep Over Falcons

2011-04-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

Centerville -- After opening conference play with a four-game sweep over Southwestern CC the previous weekend, the Indian Hills Falcons saw their league record slip to .500 when they dropped all four games of a home series against Iowa Western.

The Reivers dominated IHCC, outscoring the Falcons 33-7 in the four games. The Indian Hills offense, which produced 51 runs in the series with Southwestern, scored in only five innings in the four games with IWCC.

Iowa Western used the long ball to take both games on Saturday. All but one of the Reivers' seven runs scored on a home run.

Indian Hills' Matt Cook made only one mistake in the opener, but it cost him the game. Damek Tomscha hit a high fastball over the leftfield fence with a runner on to snap a 2-all tie in a 3-1 win for the visitors. Cook struck out nine in six innings, but his teammates couldn't do much against two Iowa Western pitchers.

The Falcons were held to six hits, five of them singles. Yuliecer Arias drove in Jordan Patton with the lone run in the 3rd inning.

Iowa Western had three homers in game two -- a solo shot and a two-run blow in the 4th and another solo home run in the top of 7th, that proved to be the game-winner.

Carter Sherban got IHCC on the board with a one-out homer in the 2nd and the Falcons scored twice in the 7th to cut the deficit to one run, but had the tying run tagged out on the basepaths to end the game.

Adam Peters worked the first 6 2/3 innings for the Falcons and suffered the loss. He fanned eight and didn't walk anyone.

While Saturday's games were both close, that wasn't the case on Sunday. Iowa Western used a five-run 3rd and a four-run 6th to win the opener, 10-2. The Reivers then closed out the weekend with an 11-run 6th inning in a 16-1 romp in the second game.

And RBI single by Jordan Patton and a sacrifice fly by Adam Coleman accounted for the IHCC runs in the first game. Coleman doubled and scored for the only tally in the second game.

The Falcons' defense really let them down on Sunday. Exactly half of the 26 runs allowed were unearned. There were five errors in the second game.

Iowa Western entered the series trailing the Falcons by one run in conference standings and left town with a three-game lead.

Indian Hills has a busiest week ahead with games at DMACC on Tuesday and at home against North Central Missouri Wednesday and Southeastern Thursday. They return to conference play with four games at Muscatine next weekend.

Offense Held in Check as Falcons Drop Two

2011-04-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

Marshalltown, IA -- The Indian Hills Falcons went into Thursday's doubleheader having scored 59 runs in their previous four games. But the Falcons' offense came to a screeching halt against Marshalltown. IHCC was held to five runs and scored in only three innings as they dropped both games to the Tigers, 8-3 and 12-2. The second game was shortened to five innings after MCC scored four runs in both the 4th and 5th innings.

Indian Hills (10-13) didn't have a base runner through the first three innings of the opener. They did some damage in the 4th inning with an RBI-single by Yuliecer Arias and a two-run double by Matt Cook to go on top 3-1.

But Marshalltown plated six runs in the bottom of the 4th against IHCC relievers David Kroger and Kevin Day. The Tigers added an insurance run in the 5th.

Indian Hills was held to four hits in the first game and had only five in game two.

Mitch Osnowitz's solo homer leading off the 4th inning made the second-game score 4-2 in favor of MCC. The Tigers then had the back-to-back four-run innings to end the game early. Each of three IHCC pitchers allowed four runs.

Indian Hills will be back in action in conference play this weekend when the Falcons welcome Iowa Western to Pat Daugherty Field for doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday.

Parents Weekend Set for IHCC Baseball

2011-04-07T07:47:00.000-07:00

Centerville -- The Indian Hills Student Senate is planning a Parents Weekend when the Falcons host MCC-Longview at Pat Daugherty Field the weekend of May 7-8.

The weekend will feature doubleheaders both Saturday and Sunday and a baseball-style cookout on Saturday.

The cookout will include free brats, hot dogs and chips, served between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.. The doubleheader that day will start at 1:00. The Student Senate will also be handing out prizes during and between games of the twinbill.

Also, the Campus Store staff will be at the field from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday providing fans the opportunity to purchase Falcons apparel and novelties.

On Sunday, action begins at noon and this will be the day for the cookout if the games are rained out on Saturday.

Hitting on Display in DMACC Baseball Win Over IHCC

2011-04-06T07:05:00.000-07:00

Centerville -- Thirty-six runs and 33 hits were the final totals for the day in DMACC's 22-14 win over Indian Hills in non-conference baseball action at Pat Daugherty Field on Tuesday.

The Falcons were coming off a weekend conference sweep at Southwestern and with the 14 runs scored against DMACC have now scored 59 runs in their last four games. But what has to be troubling for IHCC coach Cam Walker is that his pitching staff has given up 56 runs in those four contests.

DMACC's offensive eruption included a nine-run 3rd inning and five more innings when they scored at least two runs.

The Falcons were forced to play from behind after the Bears' nine-run 3rd made it 13-5. IHCC scored nine runs over the final four innings, but it wasn't nearly enough to overcome all the DMACC offense.

Indian Hills also hurt itself defensively, committing five errors that led to six unearned runs.

The top two hitters in the IHCC lineup, Jordan Patton and Adam Coleman, had two hits and the next three batters, Yuliecer Arias, Matt Cook and Mitch Osnowitz, all had three-hit games. Osnowitz had his 3rd homer in the last five games. Cook drove in three runs and was on base six times. Coleman, Arias and Cook scored three runs.

Coach Walker used five pitchers and only the last of the five, Kevin Day, wasn't charged with a run.

On ThursdayIndian Hills will play at conference foe Marshalltown CC in a doubleheader that will not count in the league standings.

Falcons Slug Their Way to Four Conference Wins

2011-04-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

Creston, IA -- The Indian Hills Falcons broke out the heavy lumber in a four-game sweep of conference foe Southwestern CC over the weekend, the start of the league schedule for both teams.

IHCC scored 51 runs on 60 hits in the series, but the largest winning margin was only five runs and two of the games were decided by two runs. The Falcons needed all that offense because their pitchers gave up 38 runs.

Twenty-one batters had two or more hits in a game for IHCC. And Indian Hills trailed early in every single game before coming back for the victory.

The series began with the lowest-scoring game of the four, a 6-4 Indian Hills win in eight innings on Saturday. Southwestern scored two early runs against IHCC starter Kevin Vazquez, a first-team all-region pitcher last year.

The Falcons got their first run in the 4th when Yuliecer Arias doubled and Matt Cook drove him in with a single. Indian Hills took a brief lead in the 5th. Adam Coleman singled home Jordan Patton, who had a two-out triple. Arias plated Coleman with another triple.

SWCC regained the lead with two unearned runs in the bottom of the 5th. Francisco Perez singled in Cook to tie the game at 4 in the 6th. The Falcons won it in the 8th with a pair of runs, the first coming on a leadoff homer by Mitch Osnowitz. Guillermo Cruz's single brought in an insurance run.

Kevin Day, who relieved Vazquez in the 6th, picked up the win. He allowed only three hits in three shutout innings.

The hosts plated three runs in the 1st inning of the second game to take a quick lead. The Falcons got two of the runs back in the 3rd and then, after SWCC scored four in the bottom of the 3rd, Indian Hills put five runs on the board in the 4th and four more in the 5th.

Cook had a homer in the 4th and the 5th inning featured RBI hits by Perez, Cruz and Patton. The Falcons tacked on two runs in the 6th and one more in the 7th. The final was 14-9.

Perez and Cruz both had three-hit games and Arias, Cook and Colin Bates had two hits apiece.

Caleb Phillips earned the win with four innings in relief. He gave up only two runs and struck out three.

Sunday started with a 17-13 win for the Falcons, who completed the sweep with a 14-12 victory.

IHCC starter Adam Peters allowed a whopping 11 hits and 11 runs and still got credit for the win. He left after five innings with the Falcons ahead 14-11. IHCC added three runs in the 6th.

Everybody in the Indian Hills lineup had at least one hit with Patton, Osnowitz and Cruz getting three each. Arias had four RBIs and Perez three. Arias, Cook and Osnowitz homered.

The final game of the series was another wild one. Southwestern scored four times in the 1st inning against Matt Cook, the IHCC starting pitcher. After Indian Hills put across three in the 2nd and six in the 3rd, the Spartans knocked Cook out of the game with eight runs in the 3rd to go on top 12-9.

The scored stayed that way until Indian Hills got a run in the 6th and then won it with a four-run 7th. Perez's three-run homer was the big blow in the final inning.

The top five hitters in the lineup for IHCC -- Patton, Coleman, Arias, Osnowitz and Bates -- all had two hits. Arias, Osnowitz and Bates drove in two runs each. Coleton Wilson also had two hits and DH Carter Sherban had a 3-for-3 game with 2 RBIs.

For the 4th straight game, Indian Hills got a good performance from its bullpen. Freshmen Cashtyn DeLeeuw and Shaun Dean combined to shut out the Spartans over the final four innings, permitting the IHCC offense to salvage the game.

DeLeeuw and Dean allowed only one hit and struck out seven in the last four frames.

Indian Hills left town with a 10-10 season record and a 4-0 conference mark that has them all alone in first place.

Falcons Divide Two Close Ones

2011-04-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

Muscatine, IA -- Indian Hills and Muscatine CC will play four conference games on the Cardinals' home field later in the season. On Thursday, the two teams split a pair of one-run decisions that do not count in the league standings.

The hosts scored a single run in each of the final three innings to pull out a 6-5 win in game one. The Falcons evened the tables by getting three runs in the top of the 7th to win the second game.

Jordan Patton drew a leadoff walk in the deciding rally in the second game. Coleton Wilson followed with a single. One run scored on a fielder's choice and the tying run came home when Rylan Harding was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Guillermo Cruz then drew a walk to force home the game-winning run.

In the bottom of the 7th, Muscatine had the potential tying and winning runs on base, but Cashtyn DeLeeuw got a strikeout to nail down the victory, his first for the Falcons.

IHCC's Justin Cook had tied the game with a solo homer in the 5th.

A two-run single in the bottom of the 6th had given MCC the lead. But the Falcons' seventh-inning rally enabled them to go home with a split.

Muscatine battled back after trailing 5-0 in the first game. Indian Hills had built the lead with a couple of runs in the 2nd and a three-run homer by Miguel Sanchez in the 4th.

Starter Tyler Sparger left with a one-run lead after five innings, but the bullpen couldn't hold it. Caleb Phillips allowed the tying run in the 6th and the winning tally came against Shaun Dean in the 7th.

Carter Sherban had two hits and two RBIs for the Falcons.

Indian Hills goes to Creston to start conference play with four games against Southwestern CC this weekend.

Home Split for IHCC

2011-03-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

Centerville -- Indian Hills scored eight runs in the 2nd inning and went on to defeat visiting Iowa Central CC and gain a split of Tuesday's doubleheader. The Falcons won game two, 11-2, after the Tritons broke a 4-all tie with four runs in the 5th and went on to win the opener, 10-4.

The Falcons sent 12 men to the plate in the big 2nd inning in the second game. Nine straight batters reached base in the frame on six hits and three walks. All of the hits were singles.

Adam Coleman went 4-for-4 for IHCC with three singles and a double, the lone extra-base hit for the Falcons. Francisco Perez had two hits and three RBIs and DH Carter Sherban knocked in a pair of runs.

Kevin Vazquez went the first 5 2/3 innings on the mound and Shaun Dean got the final four outs. They combined to allow five hits and one earned run.

The Falcons showed some resolve by bouncing back in a big way after losing the first game, according to coach Cam Walker.

In the opener, Indian Hills had tied the score at 4 on an RBI single by Jordan Patton. But they were blanked the rest of the way.

The Tritons scored six runs against reliever Dylan Badura, who took the loss. Patton and Kelvin Brito had three hits each for IHCC and Yuliecer Arias had two.

Patton was making his season debut after sitting out the season-opening Arizona trip with a broken hand. Walker said, "Patton played well both offensively and defensively. He showed what he can do for us as the season goes along."

Indian Hills is scheduled to be back in action on its home field on Thursday against Muscatine CC in a doubleheader starting at 2:00.

Falcons Open With 4-8 Start in Arizona

2011-03-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

Tucson, AZ -- Indian Hills Community College baseball coach Cam Walker isn't big on making excuses. But there is no denying the fact that his team was at a serious disadvantage on their annual season-opening trip to Arizona. The Falcons did not have a single practice outside before departing on their southern trip. And that may have played a part in the 4-8 record the Falcons recorded.

Indian Hills got shutout pitching performances from a pair of freshmen for two of their four wins. Two sophomore pitchers, Kevin Vazquez and Kevin Day, combined to allow just one run in a nine-inning win against Mesa CC.

The last three games were played against teams that had all played at least 25 games already and had begun their 2011 schedules at the end of January.

Still, the Falcons were competitive. The first two games were predictably rough with Indian Hills commiting eight errors and giving up 24 runs. However things improved after that with the pitching and defense both getting better over the final 10 games of the trip.

Indian Hills started with two losses to Madison Area Tech by scores of 15-7 and 9-3. Two pitchers, Kevin Vazquez and Matt Cook, who are being counted on to be keys in this year's starting rotation, struggled in their initial outings of the season. They gave up nine hits and nine runs in a combined 4 1/3 innings.

At the plate, Roberto Perez, Colin Bates and Kelvin Brito each had two hits in the opener and Adam Coleman drove in two runs. The Falcons were held to only two hits in the nightcap, one of them a triple by Mitch Osnowitz.

The first win of the season came in the second game the following day when the Falcons routed the University of Arizona Club team, 10-2. Gabriel Rivera, Miguel Sanchez and Edwin Rodriguez had two-hit games and Rivera and Rodriguez had two RBIs. Coleton Wilson threw four innings and got the win in relief of starter Jamil Caballero. Wilson pitched one-hit shutout baseball and the Falcons put the game away with a five-run 6th inning.

The U of A Club team had won the first game 10-6.

Pima CC beat the Falcons, 8-2, the next day. Adam Peters started and pitched well for IHCC, permitting only two hits and an unearned run through the first four innings. But the bullpen allowed seven runs after Peters departed. The Indian Hills offense managed only four singles.

Freshman Jordan Piche was nearly perfect against the University of Northern Colorado JV, facing one batter over the minimum in a five-inning one-hit shutout with eight strikeouts. The Falcons pounded out ten hits including the first IHCC homer by Kelvin Brito. Rodriguez had two hits and three runs scored.

A 5-1 win over Mesa featured six strong innings by Vazquez and three more in relief by Kevin Day. The only run allowed was unearned. Osnowitz homered and Rivera had three hits. Brito and Guillermo Cruz each had a pair of hits.

The Falcons played their first of five games in the Jack Howell Classic against Hill College from Texas and lost 3-2. IHCC scored a run in the bottom of the 7th to get to within one run, but had the potential tying run tagged out at the plate to end the game.

Freshman Tyler Sparger had his best outing of the trip, permitting just two earned runs over the first five innings. Francisco Perez had two hits and Coleman and Brito drove in the runs.

David Kroger, Jr., another freshman pitcher, threw a three-hit shutout in a 7-0 blanking of the Langley Blaze. Kroger fanned seven and walked only one in notching his first collegiate win. Bates had two doubles and Sanchez also picked up two hits for the Falcons.

A game against Central Arizona later that same day began the stretch of contests against experienced teams to conclude the trip for IHCC. The Falcons lost to Central Arizona 6-3. Coleman and Cruz had a couple of hits each and both drove in a run.

Odessa (TX) CC tallied six times in the first inning and handed IHCC a 9-3 loss. Only five hits in this one for the Falcons, by five different players.

The trip concluded with a 5-0 loss to a very good Cochise CC team. Four of the runs by Cochise came in the 4th inning. Osnowitz and Wilson had the only hits for Indian Hills.

The Falcons came away from the first dozen games of the season with some valuable experience that they will be able to use to their advantage when they open the home schedule against Iowa Central on March 23.

Cardinals Sign Former Falcon Vazquez

2011-02-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

Centerville -- The St. Louis Cardinals have made a deal to bolster the depth on the left side of their infield by signing veteran Ramon Vazquez. Vazquez, a former Indian Hills baseball player, received a Minor League deal with a non-roster invitation to Spring Training with the Cards.

Vazquez is expected to battle Tyler Greene and Daniel Descalso for a utility infield job.

The 34-year old Vazquez last played in the Major Leagues in 2009 when he batted .230 with a .335 on-base percentage and a .279 slugging percentage in 239 plate appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was released by the Pirates at the end of spring training in 2010.

Vazquez has a .254 lifetime batting average in the majors while playing in nearly 700 games with the Mariners, Padres, Red Sox, Indians, Rangers and Pirates.

Falu Returns to Speak at Banquet

2011-02-01T11:12:00.000-08:00

Centerville -- Former Indian Hills Community College standout Irving Falu will be the featured speaker for the annual IHCC baseball banquet. The banquet is scheduled for Thursday, February 10, at the Manhattan Restaurant in Centerville.

Tickets for the event are $15 each and can be purchased in advance from the Indian Hills baseball coaches, at the IHCC Administration Building on the Centerville campus, or at the Athletic Office on the Ottumwa campus. Tickets will also be available at the door.

The banquet will include dinner, an auction, the chance to meet members of the 2011 Indian Hills baseball squad and coaches, and remarks by Falu. Dinner will be at 7:00 p.m.

Falu was a two-year starter for Indian Hills. He played all of last season with the Omaha Royals, the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Falu hit .272 in 119games for Omaha, leading the team in at-bats, hits and stolen bases while finishing second in runs and triples.

A native of Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, Falu was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 2001 draft, but opted instead to attend Indian Hills. He was an All-Region performer for the Falcons and batted .374 as a sophomore with seven homers and 38 RBIs for an IHCC team that advanced to the JUCO World Series in 2003.

Falu’s older brother, Melvin, also attended Indian Hills and played professionally in the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization.

Irving Falu started his pro career in 2003 after he was selected by the Royals in the 21st round of the June First-Year Player Draft. He has worked his way up Kansas City’s organizational ladder, including a full season with Burlington in the Class-A Midwest League in 2005.

His best minor-league seasons came in 2008 when he hit .301 for Northwest Arkansas in the Texas League and 2006 when he had a .299 average for High Desert in the California League.

Registration Underway for Advanced Baseball Camp

2011-01-20T07:36:00.000-08:00

Centerville -- Indian Hills will offer an Advanced Pitching and Hitting Camp on Feb. 19 and 20. This camp is for varsity high school baseball players or those who will be varsity players next summer. Space is limited to 24 players in each session.

The areas of emphasis will be pitching on Saturday, Feb. 19, and hitting on Sunday, Feb. 20. There will be two sessions each day -- one from 9:30 a.m. to noon and a second from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m.

The IHCC coaching staff will provide the instruction and campers can also have a videotape of their performance evaluated. They will need to provide their own videotape.

The cost to attend is $50 per session. Camp t-shirts will be given to all who participate.

More information can be obtained by calling coach Jonathan Mathews at 641-856-2143 or 641-680-5687 or by emailing jmathews@indianhills.edu.

Falcons Sign Wisconsin Standout

2011-01-20T07:33:00.000-08:00

CENTERVILLE --- Indian Hills Community College baseball coach Cam Walker has signed a standout high school player from Wisconsin.

Eau Claire North senior Tyler Hermann has signed a national letter-of-intent to play baseball for the Falcons. Hermann batted .479 with six home runs and 29 RBIs last season for the Huskies. He also went 3-1 with a 2.38 ERA as a pitcher.

The Falcons open the 2011 spring schedule the first weekend in March with a pair of doubleheaders in Liberty, Missouri against MCC-Maple Woods. They will head to Tucson, Arizona for the annual spring trip, beginning March 12.

Winter Baseball Camps at IHCC

2010-12-01T07:12:00.000-08:00

Centerville -- Indian Hills will hold a baseball camp for players ages 8 and older on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 27 and 28, in the Multi-purpose building on the IHCC Centerville campus.

Head baseball coach Cam Walker will direct the camp in which players will receive individual instruction in pitching, catching and hitting. IHCC assistant coaches Jonathan Mathews and Brandon Crisp will assist coach Walker along with Rick Mathews from the Colorado Rockies' organization.

The camp will be broken into two instructional sessions. On Monday, Dec. 27, the emphasis will be on pitching and catching. Players from 8-12 years old will go from 9 a.m. - noon and those ages 13 and older will go from 1-4 p.m.

Hitting will be the focus on Tuesday, Dec. 28, with the age groups and times the same as the day before.

The fee to attend the camp is $50 for one day or $95 for both days. Campers will get a t-shirt along with their individual instruction.

Pre-registration forms are available from local high school baseball coaches. Registration can also be taken care of the day of the camp. For more information contact Jonathan Mathews at 641-856-2143 or 641-680-5687.

Indian Hills will also offer an Advanced Pitching and Hitting Camp on Feb. 19 and 20. This camp is for varsity high school baseball players or those who will be varsity players next summer. Space is limited to 24 players in each session.

The areas of emphasis will be pitching on Saturday, Feb. 19 and hitting on Sunday, Feb. 20. There will be two sessions each day -- one from 9:30 a.m. to noon and a second from 1:00 to 3:30.

The IHCC coaching staff will provide the instruction and campers can also have a videotape of their performance evaluated. They will need to provide their own videotape.

The cost to attend is $50 per session. Camp t-shirts will be given to all who participate.

More information can be obtained by calling coach Mathews at 641-856-2143 or 641-680-5687.

Another Former Falcon Playing Pro Baseball

2010-08-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

Centerville -- Nick Nordgren is the latest former Indian Hills Falcon baseball player to play professionally. Nordgren, a former All-Region performer for the Falcons, signed a free agent contract with the San Francisco Giants in late-July and was assigned to the Giants' team in the Arizona Rookie League.

Nordgren, an outfielder was a two-time first-team All-Region XI choice for IHCC and led the team in a number of offensive categories as a sophomore.

After leaving Indian Hills, Nordgren played one season at both Creighton University and the University of Tampa.

Nordgren was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays after graduating from high school, but opted to attend Indian Hills instead.

Nordgren joins Ruben Gotay, Irving Falu, Brock Kjeldgaard and Ray Kruml as former IHCC Falcons playing in the minor leagues in 2010.

Date Set for Fall Golf Event

2010-06-23T06:24:00.000-07:00

Centerville -- The third annual Indian Hills Fall Golf Classic will be held on Sunday, September 26, at the Manhattan Golf Course in Centerville. Proceeds from the event go to support the baseball program at Indian Hills.

Registration will begin at 11:00 a.m. the day of the tourney with a shotgun start at noon. It will be a four-person scramble event with prizes awarded for the top three flights, the longest drive, closest shot to the pin and the longest putt.

The entry fee is $50 per person which includes golf, dinner and door prizes.

So get your team together and plan to join the fun. For more information, contact IHCC baseball coaches Cam Walker or Jonathan Mathews at 641-856-2143 or 800-670-3641.

Falcons Well-Represented on Academic All-Region List

2010-06-16T13:44:00.000-07:00

Centerville -- The Indian Hills Community College baseball team had a good season on the field this year with a 39-22 record and a second-place finish in the region. And the Falcons had an outstanding spring in the classroom placing 21 players on the Academic All-Region team. The academic honors list includes players with a grade point average of 3.0 or better.

Six IHCC players – sophomore Joe Dashek and freshmen Colin Bates, Kevin Day, Ian Schiltz, Kevin Vazquez and Coleton Wilson – are on the Academic All-Region first team.

The Falcons on the All-Region second team are sophomores Nick Andersen, Chase Breid, Justin Cook, Jeran Courtney, Kalab Evans, Manny Garcia, Chad Northcott, Kyle Peterson, Frankie Rivera, Louis Rivera and Craig Vannus and freshmen Dylan Badura, Joan Escrogin, Danny Gonzalez and Caleb Phillips.

IHCC Has 13 All-Region Players

2010-06-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

Centerville -- Indian Hills Community College put 13 players on the 2010 All-Region baseball team announced by the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference. The Falcons had four first-team all-region choices, two on the second team and seven on the honorable mention list.

IHCC’s first-team picks were infielder Kyle Peterson, outfielder Frankie Rivera, designated hitter Fernando Frias and pitcher Kevin Vazquez.

On the all-region second team from Indian Hills were infielder Manny Garcia and catcher Adam Coleman.

Honorable mention selections included pitchers Matt Cook, Brad Mergen, David Wydeven and Adam Peters, infielders Kalab Evans and Justin Cook and outfielder Kyle Heger.
Vazquez, Peters and Coleman were all freshmen this spring, Justin Cook was a redshirt freshman and the others were all sophomores.

Heger was on the all-region second team last year while Mergen, Frias, Garcia and Peterson were honorable mention choices in 2009.

Indian Hills finished the 2010 season with a 39-22 record, the most victories for IHCC since 2006. The Falcons lost in the region championship game to Iowa Western.

Iowa Western Brings an End to IHCC Season

2010-05-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

Centerville -- The Indian Hills Falcons put together three straight wins in the elimination bracket of the Region XI tournament, but that streak ended when Iowa Western edged the Falcons, 3-1, on Sunday afternoon.

The win gives IWCC their 6th Region XI title in a row and ends the Falcons' season with a 39-22 record.

IHCC had kept its hopes alive in the tourney with a 6-4 win against Muscatine CC earlier Sunday. That victory avenged a loss to MCC on Friday in the Falcons' first game in the tourney.

Pitching dominated the game between Indian Hills and Iowa Western. Each team had six hits. IWCC scored single runs in the 1st, 6th and 8th innings while the only IHCC tally came in the 6th on a sacrifice fly by Manny Garcia. Garcia's fly ball brought home Frankie Rivera who had reached on an error.

The 3rd inning was the only frame in which the Falcons had more than one baserunner. Rivera and Adam Coleman had back-to-back singles after two outs. But a forceout ended the inning. Rivera picked up three of IHCC's hits.

A solid pitching effort by Matt Cook highlighted the opening win against Muscatine. Cook scattered 11 hits in 8 innings and allowed only two earned runs with no walks and eight strikeouts. Twin brother Justin finished up with a scoreless 9th for the Falcons.

Indian Hills scored all six of its runs in the 7th inning. Freshman Craig Vannus had a clutch two-out, two-run single to put IHCC ahead 6-1. MCC answered with three runs in the bottom of the 7th, but Matt Cook worked out of further trouble and gave way to his brother after the 8th.

Justin Cook and Vannus each had two hits for Indian Hills.

The 39 wins posted by Indian Hills in 2010 were the most since the 2006 team won 48 games. There were 16 sophomores on this year's roster who used up their eligibility, but a strong nucleus of pitchers will return in 2011.

Falcons Win Two in Region Tourney

2010-05-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

Centerville -- Strong pitching performances by Caleb Phillips and Adam Peters allowed Indian Hills to stay alive in the Region XI baseball tournament on Saturday.

Phillips fired a complete-game seven hitter to beat Southwestern CC, 10-4, to start the day and Peters ended it with a five-hit, nine-strikeout gem as the Falcons polished off Marshalltown CC, 9-1.

Indian Hills will take on Muscatine in an elimination game on Sunday morning with the winner to play Iowa Western later Sunday.

Against Southwestern, IHCC jumped out to an early 7-0 lead and that was more than enough offense for Phillips. The freshman righthander allowed a single run in the 3rd and three in the 5th in his second complete game of the season. He walked three and struck out six in evening his record at 4-4.

The Falcons used two hits, four walks and a sacrifice fly to score four runs in the 2nd inning. Three hits and three walks produced three more runs in the 3rd. They added two in the 5th and one in the 6th.

Frankie Rivera had three hits and Chad Northcott two to lead the IHCC offense. Northcott and Matt Cook had three RBIs.

In the game with Marshalltown, Indian Hills made the most of four hits and overcame some shaky defense to get their 38th win of the season. The Falcons took advantage of errors, walks, wild pitches and hit batsmen to score their nine runs.

The Falcons committed six errors, but Peters pitched around those mistakes with a dominating game on the mound. The only run Peters allowed was unearned and he walked only one batter to go along with his nine Ks. He leads the pitching staff with eight wins for the year.

Manny Garcia had two of Indian Hills' four hits and Rivera and Juan Diaz had the others. Kyle Peterson was on base all four at-bats and scored two runs.

Extra-Inning Loss Stings Falcons in Tourney

2010-05-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

Centerville -- The Region XI postseason baseball tournament quickly went from a double-elimination event to a single-elimination affair for the Indian Hills Falcons. IHCC, which entered the tournament as the number-two seed, saw Muscatine CC score a run in the bottom of the 11th inning to pull out an 8-7 win over the Falcons on Friday and put Indian Hills one loss away from ending their season.

The winning run scored when MCC's Hector Ortiz scored all the way from second on a ground ball to third base. Ortiz had reached on a walk and moved up on a groundout. He was attempting to steal third when IHCC's Justin Cook fielded a grounder and fired to first. Ortiz never stopped running and beat the relay throw from first base to allow Muscatine to stay in the winner's bracket while sending Indian Hills to the elimination round.

The Falcons tied the game in the bottom of the 9th on a double by Manny Garcia, one of five hits in the game for Garcia. His double drove in Frankie Rivera who had walked and advanced on a sacrifice bunt.

The lead changed hands four times. IHCC jumped on top with two runs in the 1st inning on a two-run single by Justin Cook. Muscatine went ahead 3-2 in the top of the 3rd only to see the Falcons regain the advantage with a three-run 3rd.

Four straight hits and a hit-batsman produced the big inning for IHCC.

Trailing 7-5 in the 6th, Indian Hills tied the score on a pair of bases-loaded walks.

After Muscatine scored a run in the 8th, the Falcons tied the game up in the 9th on Garcia's RBI-hit.

The two teams combined to leave 33 runners on base, 18 of them by IHCC.

Brad Mergen started and went four innings for Indian Hills. He gave up five runs, all of them earned. David Wydeven threw five innings of relief, giving up four hits and only one earned run. Delvin Perez took the loss for Indian Hills as he was charged with the 11th inning run.

In addition to Garcia's five-hit performance at the plate, Justin Cook had three hits and Kyle Peterson two for the Falcons. Cook had three RBIs.

Knowing that one more loss will end their season, Indian Hills will take on Southwestern CC on Saturday morning at 11:00.

IHCC and Muscatine Square Off in Region Tourney

2010-05-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

Centerville -- For the fourth year in a row, Indian Hills Community College and Muscatine Community College will be matched up in the first round of the Region XI postseason baseball tournament. Indian Hills, the number-two seed, will host the five-team tournament at Pat Daugherty Field in Centerville this weekend.

The Indian Hills-Muscatine first-round game will be at 5:00 Friday afternoon after Marshalltown CC and Southwestern CC open the tourney at 2:00 p.m. The winner of the IHCC-MCC game will play at 2 p.m. Saturday. The loser will play an elimination game at 11:00 a.m. Saturday.

(Note that the start times for Friday's games have been moved back three hours because of a wet field. Those times are different from the original ones released earlier this week.)

Iowa Western is the top seed in the double-elimination tournament after going 15-1 in conference play. Their first game will be at 8:00 Friday night against the winner of the Marshalltown-Southwestern contest.

Indian Hills, with a season record of 36-20 and a conference mark of 9-7, won four of the five regular-season meetings with Muscatine. The Falcons won 28-18 in late March in a game that didn’t count in the league standings. In a four-game series in Centerville in April, Indian Hills won by scores of 1-0, 13-7 and 3-2. Muscatine’s lone win against IHCC was 9-2.

Indian Hills has opened the region tournament with a win against Muscatine each of the last two years. The Falcons are searching for their first postseason title since 2004.

Falcons Get Verbal Commitment for 2010

2009-11-02T14:17:00.000-08:00

CENTERVILLE --- Indian Hills Community College baseball coach Cam Walker has received a verbal commitment from one of the top names on his recruiting list. Tyler Sparger, a righthanded pitcher from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, has told the IHCC coach that he plans to attend Indian Hills and play for the Falcons in 2010.
Sparger is a senior at Eau Claire Memorial High School. In his junior season, he had a 5-2 record with a 1.97 ERA. Playing first base when he wasn’t pitching, Sparger hit .462 with a homer and 22 RBIs. He was a first-team all-conference and second-team all-region selection.
Sparger played American Legion baseball this summer and was 5-2 with a 3.10 ERA. In 40 games, he had a .330 batting average with nine home runs and 45 RBIs. He was named to the all-tournament team at tournaments in Eau Claire and Lacrosse as well as the state tourney.
Sparger has also played for the Cincinnati Reds’ Midwest Scout team the last two falls. He threw a no-hitter in the 2009 Perfect Game Kernels’ tournament.
Sparger’s high school baseball coach is his father, Dave.

2009 Season Review

2009-06-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

The 2009 season ended one win shy of a Region XI title for the Indian Hills baseball team. The Falcons battled back after a loss to Iowa Western on the second day of the region tournament to win two games -- including a 15-13 slugfest victory over the Reivers -- to force another game with Iowa Western for the region title. Indian Hills had an early 2-0 lead in that contest, but Iowa Western prevailed 12-5.

That loss concluded a season in which IHCC finished at 35-24 and had a conference record of 10-6.

It was an Indian Hills team that played some outstanding baseball in the second half of the season. Over a 34-game stretch, Indian Hills posted a record of 25-9 and averaged over eight runs a game in that span. They scored in double figures 14 times.

Indian Hills started their torrid stretch with a six-game winning streak. After a shutout loss in the first game of a doubleheader at Iowa Central, the Falcons started a new winning streak in the nightcap of that twinbill, a streak that reached nine games before a last-inning loss at Longview CC in Kansas City.

The Falcons' top pitcher was sophomore right hander Christian Rivera who won his first eight decisions before suffering the loss in the final game of the season. Rivera was 8-1 with an ERA of 2.87.

Rivera led the IHCC mound staff in wins (8) and complete games (7), and tied for the lead in innings pitched with 59 2/3.

Travis Whitmore, a two-year starter for the Falcons, finished his sophomore season as the team leader in eight offensive categories. Whitmore played in 55 of IHCC's 60 games, starting 53 of them. He had team highs in at bats (190), hits (74), doubles (17), triples (6), RBIs (51), total bases (127), slugging percentage (.668), and on-base-plus-slugging percentage (1.116). Whitmore also belted eight homers and had a .389 batting average.