Centerville -- In the opening weekend of conference play for both teams, Indian Hills and Iowa Western left Pat Daugherty Field on Sunday afternoon having each won a pair of games. After IHCC won by scores of 6-5 and 6-2 on Saturday, Iowa Western came back to gain the split with 6-4 and 11-1 victories on Sunday. The first game went eight innings.
The Reivers came into the series riding a 14-game winning streak and with a No. 8 national ranking and the Falcons promptly swept Saturday's doubleheader, thanks to a tie-breaking run-scoring double by Mitch Langer in the bottom of the 7th in the opener and a solid pitching performance by Trevor Kiminski in game two.
IHCC saw Iowa Western recover from an early 5-1 deficit in the first game when the Reivers scored four runs in the 4th inning off IHCC starter David Kroger.
But Bryce Collins and Cody Hinson shut out Iowa Western over the final three innings and the Falcons broke through for the game-winning run in the 7th. Hinson was credited with the win.
After the first two batters were retired in the bottom of the 7th, Joel Fuentes singled and rode home on Langer's two-base hit to right-center field.
Paolo Montezuma had a two-run homer and knocked in three runs for the Falcons. Langer had a pair of doubles and Jake Lewis a double and a single. Austin Irvin also had a two-hit game. Lewis and Montezuma both scored twice.
Kiminski threw four-hit ball over 6 2/3 innings in the second game before Jordan Magers came on to get the final out. Kiminski shut out the Reivers for the first five innings until allowing single runs in the 6th and 7th.
The 4th inning was the big one for IHCC when they exploded for four runs, courtesy of Mike Levar's grand slam. Fuentes and Montezuma had the other RBIs and Lewis had a pair of singles and scored two runs.
Indian Hills took a 3-1 lead in Sunday's opening game after scoring three runs in the 3rd. The Reivers answered with two in the 4th to tie it. Each team scored in the 7th and Iowa Western broke the tie with two in the 8th to pull out the extra-inning win.
Ben Reznicek had the big bat for IHCC, going 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Langer and Ryan Shull both had a couple of hits and Langer had three more RBIs.
Iowa Western used a four-run 3rd and a five-run 6th to easily win game two Sunday.
Matt D'Ariano started and took the loss for IHCC, which used five pitchers.
Kyle Keck drove in Reznicek with the lone Indian Hills run in the 5th inning. The Falcons were held to three hits by IWCC's Mitch McIntyre.
Non-conference home games with Iowa Central on Tuesday and Ellsworth on Wednesday will start the Falcons' week before they travel to Marshalltown to resume league play with doubleheaders next Saturday and Sunday.