Centerville -- For the third conference series in a row, Indian Hills won three-of-four games from a league rival and the latest result left the Falcons in a first-place tie for the top in the Region 11 standings with Iowa Western. Indian Hills took the first three games from Marshalltown over the weekend, but couldn't complete the sweep when they lost in Saturday's second game.

IHCC won 16-8 and 5-0 in the first twinbill and took the first game on day two, 13-8, thanks to a 12-run inning, before dropping a 3-1 decision.

Indian Hills had taken sole possession of first place the previous weekend, winning three out of four from Iowa Western. After the most recent series, the two teams are tied at 9-3. The Falcons are 27-12 overall.

Playing at home at Pat Daugherty Field, where they are now 11-2 for the spring, Indian Hills used three big innings in Friday's opener and then rode the shutout pitching of Christian Torres and Jose Marin in the nightcap to sweep Marshalltown.

Starter Derek Kawlewski gave up three homers in the first two innings in game one, but his teammates turned the game around with a five-run fourth inning.

Bennett Mann hit a three-run homer in the first to give the Tigers an early lead.

IHCC used the long ball to jump ahead in the bottom of the inning when Joel Booker and Mitch Langer each went deep with a teammate aboard. Caleb Ratzman drew a walk ahead of Booker's shot and Dario Polanco coaxed a two-out walk before Langer's team-leading 10th of the season.

MCC got a leadoff solo HR from Ron Sandoval and a three-run blast by Eric Kent in the 2nd to go on top 7-4.

Indian Hills went ahead for good in the fourth, sending 10 men to the plate and scoring five times.

Edgar Lebron started it with a one-out single. After Ratzman walked for the third straight at-bat, Booker clubbed a two-run triple. Junior Santos singled home Booker and, after Polanco drew a walk, Mike Levar slapped a two-run single to put IHCC ahead.

The Falcons got a run on an error in the 5th and then broke the game open with six in the 6th.

Jake Lewis had an RBI-double, Lebron a run-scoring single, Ratzman a two-run single and Santos a fielder's choice grounder in the inning.

Jesse Anderson and Joelfi Arias provided outstanding relief pitching. Anderson picked up the win, giving up four hits and striking out four in four shutout innings; Arias finished up in the 7th.

Booker had four RBIs and he and Lebron each had two hits. Ratzman and Lebron scored three runs apiece.

Torres, the sophomore lefthander, was in complete control in the second game, the 5-0 win. He had at least one K in every inning, a total of 11 in six frames, and Marin had one punchout in the 7th. MCC only managed three hits and in only one inning did they have more than one baserunner.

Levar's sacrifice fly and Lewis' RBI single scored the first two runs in the 2nd; Lewis had another run-scoring single in the 4th; and Santos contributed a sacrifice fly and Paulo Montezuma singled in a run in the 5th.

Polanco had a double and a triple and scored twice. Lewis also had a multi-hit game with two singles.

The Falcons' bats were quiet for the first three innings on the first game Saturday. Marshalltown tallied three runs in the 1st, two in the 2nd and one in both the 3rd and 4th and led 7-1 when IHCC came to bat in the bottom of the 4th.

By the time the third out was recorded, the Falcons had sent 17 men to the plate and scored a dozen runs.

The inning featured a three-run homer by Lebron, a two-run blow by Polanco and a solo blast by Lewis, he and Polanco going back-to-back.

The Falcons had eight hits and four walks and there were two errors that aided IHCC's biggest inning of the season.

Everybody in the Indian Hills lineup scored at least one run and Lebron had four RBIs.

Cody Hinson, in relief of starter Nick Green, got the victory, allowing three hits and two earned runs over four innings. He struck out five.

But inexplicably, the Falcons' bats went silent in game two and MCC salvaged a win behind the pitching of John Bloom. He spaced five IHCC hits with two walks and no strikeouts.

Booker had the only extra-base hit with a triple. Polanco walked and scored on Lewis' single in the 6th for IHCC's only run.

Eric Kent hammered his third homer of the series for MCC.

Indian Hills starter Alsis Herrera pitched respectably, permitting eight hits and three earned runs in five innings with no walks and 10 Ks. Johno Rodriguez had three more strikeouts in two innings of relief.

The Falcons return to conference play next weekend with a four-game series at Muscatine as they start the second half of the league schedule.