Last-Inning Rally Leads to Sweep

Centerville -- Tyler Hermann's run-scoring single in the bottom of the 7th capped a four-run rally and allowed Indian Hills to complete a sweep of visiting Muscatine CC in the Falcons' home opener on Wednesday. The late-game heroics allowed IHCC to win game two, 6-5, after a 9-1 victory in the first game.

IHCC sophomore right-handers Jordan Piche and Tyler Sparger combined to limit the Cardinals to just two hits in game one and the Falcons scored in five of their six at-bats in picking up the win.

Piche allowed two hits and the lone MCC run in five innings of work, striking out five while walking one. Sparger fanned three in two perfect innings of relief.

The hitting stars included Taylor Ostrich, who was 3-for-4, Adam Deneke, 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs, and Jeremy Delgado and Hermann with two hits each. Jason Bonilla started the scoring for the Falcons with a two-out two-run homer in the bottom of the 1st.

Delgado tripled and scored ahead of Bonilla in the first, then had a two-run single in the 2nd. Deneke had a pair of singles to go along with a two-run double.

Muscatine took an early 4-0 lead in the second game against IHCC starter Cashtyn DeLeeuw. The Falcons scored single runs in the 3rd and 6th innings, but trailed 5-2 going into the bottom of the 7th. Kevin Arroyo started the uprising with a single and Deneke followed with a double, the first of six straight Falcons to reach base.

Delgado, Yuliecer Arias and Guillermo Cruz had consecutive singles -- Arias' was a two-run hit -- and, after a walk to Ostrich, Hermann ended the game with his single. Six of IHCC's 11 hits for the game came in their final at-bat.

Arias had three hits and Delgado and Hermann two each.

A big part of the Indian Hills victory was the work of a pair of freshmen lefthanders, Jake Stalzer and A.J. McElderry, out of the bullpen. After DeLeeuw was lifted in the second inning, Stalzer and McElderry combined to limit MCC to just two hits and an unearned run over the final 5 2/3 innings. Stalzer fanned six in four innings and McElderry, who was credited with his first win of the season, struck out two of the four men he faced.

The sweep pushes the Falcons' season record to 10-12. They will host Iowa Central on Thursday, then head to Marshalltown for a four-game conference series this weekend.