A clash at the top of the Little Hawkeye Conference standings highlighted the beginning to the second half of the summer season, as Indianola rallied late to knock off #2 in 3A Pella on Friday, in a 9-6 varsity baseball game heard live on both 94.3 KNIA and 92.1 KRLS.
The Dutch would strike first in the top of the third after keeping four Indianola runners from scoring the first two frames. Pella took advantage of two passed balls at home plate to score their first two runs, which included a dropped third strike against Isaiah Kettler with two outs. Lake Cowman would make the Indians pay for the extra out, crushing a two-run blast to left center field to get a four-run spot on the board.
However, Indianola remained patient and kept tallying up baserunners. The home team cut the Dutch advantage in half in the bottom of the fifth before flexing their offensive muscle in the bottom of the sixth, in a frame that started with three of the first four Indianola batters getting hit by pitches. Three consecutive hits would give the Indians the lead and two additional Pella errors gave them cushion.
Hayes Lautenbach tried to key a Pella rally in the top of the 7th with a two-run single, but the Indians ultimately shut the door. George Blake earned the win on the mound, going six innings and striking out seven Dutch batters. Bo Blake led the home team with a 3-for-3 performance at the plate with two runs batted in.
Indianola improves to 15-3 overall and takes a half-game lead in the conference standings at 8-2 and next travel to Oskaloosa on Monday for a varsity doubleheader. Pella falls to 14-4 overall and 8-3 in the league, with a road trip for two games at Dallas Center-Grimes coming up on Monday.
