On Friday, as broadcast live on 94.3 KNIA, the Indianola baseball team defeated Pella Christian 11-1 to conclude the Little Hawkeye Conference season for both teams.
In the first inning, the Indians took a 2-0 lead thanks to a mistake by Pella Christian and an RBI sacrifice fly by Asher Brueck. In the second inning, they increased their lead thanks to RBIs by George Blake and Brody Merema, establishing a 4-0 lead. Ben Van Wyngarden’s RBI single in the fourth inning gave the Eagles a run, but Indianola responded in the bottom of the fifth by loading the bases for George Blake.
The Indians then took an 8-1 lead before ending it early with three more runs in the fifth inning, including an RBI from Andrew DeWall and runs scored on wild pitches.
The Indians’ defense and pitching have been playing well for the past week, and their offensive tonight was the result of the players’ confidence in every facet of the game, according to head coach Nathan Carlin.
Blake batted 2-3 with five runs driven in, Dax Heimbaugh went 3-3, and Van Wyngarden led the Eagles with a 1-2 day at the plate.
Pella Christian’s season record is 7-20 and their conference record is 2-15. They will play Grandview Christian in a non-conference game on Tuesday.
The Indians, who have won the LHC title outright, are now 23-4 and 15-3 in the conference. They will play in a tournament at Dowling Catholic today.
