Marshalltown, Iowa -- Indian Hills put itself in position to finish second in the conference standings after sweeping a doubleheader from Marshalltown CC on Saturday, but the Falcons couldn't get the one victory they needed in Sunday's twinbill to clinch a number-two seed in this weekend's league tournament as Marshalltown turned the tables and won both games.
The Falcons took the Saturday tilts, 9-6 and 5-2; the host Tigers won low-scoring affairs Sunday, 1-0 and 3-1.
The results gave Indian Hills a conference record of 11-13, one game behind MCC's 12-12.
On the strength of four runs in the 2nd inning, IHCC took a 9-3 lead into the bottom of the 7th in the opening game of the series, then saw Marshalltown score three runs and load the bases with two outs. Falcons' reliever Matt Krutsch finally induced a flyout to the warning track to end the threat and the game. The Tigers left 15 runners on base and stranded the bases loaded four times.
Luis Gimenez led the IHCC offense, going 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs. Ryan Shull and Dilon Nelson also had two RBIs and Lane Harvey scored three times. The Falcons also stole five bases, two by Gimenez.
Indian Hills took advantage of six errors by MCC and scored six unearned runs.
Starter Bryce Collins pitched into the 7th inning before Krutsch came on to get the final two outs.
Gimenez had thre more hits in the nightcap, scoring two runs, and Nelson pounded a two-run homer. Noah Renaud, Wyatt Olson and Harvey had the other IHCC RBIs.
Indian Hills pushed across two runs in the 1st and two in the 4th; MCC got their runs in the 5th off starter Junior Ramirez, who notched the win to improve to 6-4. Jacob Thiessen provided strong work out of the bullpen, throwing two hitless innings with two walks and two Ks.
Sunday's first game was a pitcher's duel between former Centerville High School teammates, Kolton Gonnerman of Marshalltown and Michael Starcevich of IHCC. Gonnerman shut out the Falcons over six innings with two walks and four strikeouts. Starcevich, in six innings, permitted seven hits and punched out seven.
The lone run scored in the 4th when Diogen Ceballos doubled and came home on Luis Duran's sacrifice fly. JD Barr got the final three outs for the Tigers and saved the win for Gonnerman.
Barr also picked up a save in the second game when MCC took a 3-0 lead into the 7th inning. Indian Hills got its first and only run of the day when Olivier Basabe drove in Shull, but the Falcons rally ended there.
MCC got two runs on a Logan Holtz home run in the 3rd and added their other run when Ceballos homered off IHCC starter Jarret Cronin in the 6th. Cronin went 5 2/3 innings and allowed only four hits and the three runs, walking two and fanning four. KC Diwa came in after the Ceballos homer and got the final out.
Indian Hills ends the regular campaign with a 23-29 record. They will turn around and face Marshalltown again right away at 2:00 on Friday in the first round of the Region 11 postseason tournament, which the Falcons will host at Pat Daugherty Field. Iowa Western won the regular season conference title and they will take on Muscatine CC in the tourney opener at 11 a.m. Friday.
Harvey had two hits for the Falcons.