Marshalltown, IA -- For the second time this spring, Indian Hills took three out of four games in a weekend conference series with Marshalltown CC.
When the teams met in Centerville the first weekend in April, IHCC scored 38 runs in the four games. They did even better offensively this time around scoring 42 runs in their three wins and 45 runs total.
The Falcons walloped the Tigers, 8-3 and 14-3, on Saturday and, after losing a 4-3 decision in Sunday's first game, mauled MCC, 20-3, in the final game of the series.
The 20 runs are the most scored by the Falcons in a game so far this season, one more than they plated in a win against Muscatine CC the weekend before.
It was a huge series for IHCC sophomore Taylor Ostrich. The lefty-hitting first baseman was 8-for-13 with an astounding 14 RBIs, slugging five doubles, a triple and a home run. Ostrich had two doubles, a triple and the homer and six runs-batted-in in the second game on Saturday and then had another six-RBI game on Sunday as part of the 20-run onslaught.
The Falcons got off to a good start with the first-day sweep. They broke open a close game in game one with two runs in the 5th on RBI singles by Joel Booker and Dario Polanco, added three more in the 6th before Edgar Lebron singled home another run in the 7th. The top three batters in the order -- Caleb Ratzman, Junior Santos and Ostrich -- drove in the 6th-inning runs. Polanco had three hits in the contest.
Jake Stalzer picked up the victory, going the first 5 2/3 innings with Matt Lashlee finishing up. Stalzer allowed six hits and two runs with five Ks.
A three-run 1st inning started the Falcons on the way to the second-game win. Sam Ross threw a complete-game four-hitter with nine punchouts.
Ostrich's four-extra base hits led the offense that also had two hits apiece from Ratzman, Santos and Jordan Berry. Berry homered with Ostrich aboard in the 1st inning.
The lone pitcher's duel came in Sunday's first game, with MCC's Corey Ceponis outdueling IHCC's duo of Christian Torres and Derek Kawlewski.
Torres gave up only five hits and two first-inning runs before allowing a leadoff double in the bottom of the 6th with the Falcons ahead 3-2. Kawlewski came on in relief and permitted the tying run to score on a sacrifice fly and the go-ahead run came home on a passed ball.
Ceponis struck out 12 IHCC batters and gave up only three hits, including Tyler Hermann's two-run homer in the 1st. Darry Velez accounted for the other Indian Hills run with a solo HR in the top of the 6th, before MCC won it in the bottom of the inning.
The Falcons bounced back with a vengeance in the nightcap, scoring five times in both the 2nd and 3rd innings and then exploding for ten runs in the 4th.
The 20 runs were scored on 11 hits with nine walks and a bevy of wild pitches, wild throws and three errors leading to the run total.
Ratzman, Lebron and Kevin Valera combined to score eight runs and none of them had a hit. Ostrich had a three-run double in the 2nd, an RBI groundout in the 3rd and a two-run double in the 4th to cap his big weekend.
Polanco had four RBIs and he, Santos, Hermann and Booker all had two hits.
Adam Deneke didn't let all the offense distract him as he went the first four innings on the mound for IHCC and got the win. He gave up five hits and two earned runs and fanned four. Jose Marin had two more Ks in his one inning of work.
Indian Hills is 26-17 overall and 13-7 in the conference heading into the final week of the regular season. Next up is a doubleheader at North Central (Mo.) on Tuesday. The Falcons will host league-leading Iowa Western in a four-game series this weekend, Family Weekend at Pat Daugherty Field in Centerville.
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