GRAND JUNCTION, CO – This is getting to be commonplace, but in no way should it be.
The road to Indian Hills’ first JUCO World Series in 17 seasons included having to take down the nation’s number five-ranked team in back-to-back elimination games at the Regional level. That was followed by an encore act the next week that somehow outdid the original performance as the Warriors took out the nation’s top-ranked team last weekend in similar fashion, blowing out No. 1-rated Wabash Valley in successive elimination contests.
The Warriors’ reward?
A 10-seed in a field of ten teams and a date with No. 1-seeded Crowder College (52-6) in the opening round of the 63rd Annual Alpine Bank JUCO World Series.
IHCC’s response?
A five-run top of the first inning to announce that the Warriors were no fluke, and they were more than happy to position themselves to knock yet another top-team from their throne. But this would be no quick flash in the pan. It was another thorough whitewashing. A 10-3 drubbing of the team that finished No. 3 in the NJCAA’s final Top 25 poll.
“I think the kids really had a little bit of a chip on their shoulder to go out and earn some respect for the program,” said IHCC Head Coach Matthew Torrez. “They know they've really started to put Indian Hills back on the map, and I feel like they've done a great job of it.”
The Warriors wasted no time in announcing that it was they that would be doing the bullying around on this day as C.J. Castillo reached on a dropped third strike and then promptly stole second. Tucker Ebest doubled to right to plate Castillo to make it 1-0, IHCC before fans had hardly settled into their seats.
Noel Perez would make it 2-0 with a single to right to score Ebest and Pier-Olivier Boucher doubled to left to put runners on second and third with just one away.
Ricardo Van Grieken stunned the top-seeded Roughriders with a liner that cleared the fence in right, and just like that, it was 5-0 Indian Hills.
“The last couple of weekends we've hit some balls out of the yard and really added to what we’re trying to do,” Torrez said. “When that went out, if I could have jumped 500 feet I probably would have. I would have chased that ball down for him it was exciting for everybody. Ricardo was floating around the bases. It was a great thing.”
A 5-0 lead and Maddux Hoaglund on the mound had everyone wearing maroon and gold feeling optimistic about the Warriors’ odds, but there was a long way to go.
“Maddux has the three-pitch deal with the fast ball, breaking ball, change up in any count, and he does a really great job of that,” Torrez said. “We'll throw it early, we'll throw it late, and also the other thing is, I think did a really good job of throwing fastballs late when they're looking soft.”
IHCC made it 6-0 in the second when Ebest, who was later named the player of the game with his 3-for-4 effort, added another RBI-single to score Samuel Fortier.
Crowder got to Hoaglund for their only runs of the contest in the bottom of the second when the Warrior righty put two on with a leadoff walk and a hit batsman. Crowder’s Jeffry Mercado lifted a three-run homer to left to temporarily cut IHCC’s lead in half.
A Perez RBI-double in the sixth inning pushed the margin to 7-3 in favor of the Warriors before IHCC put it nearly out of reach in the eighth with three more. Boucher singled in a run, Perez scored on a Roughrider error, and Janssen brought home the final Warrior run on a safety squeeze bunt.
After surrendering the second inning homer, Hoaglund would knuckle down from that point on, as the sophomore wouldn’t concede another run and was finally taken down with one out in the eighth inning after 130 pitches. Nick Marshall tossed the final five outs in relief to slam the door on the Roughriders (52-7).
The win moves the Warriors (44-14) into a primetime Monday contest against fourth-seeded McLennan (TX) back at Sam Suplizio Field. The Memorial Day contest with the Highlanders (43-16) is slated for an 8:30 p.m. CDT first pitch.
“You’re a really good baseball team if you come out that region that McLennan comes out of,” Torrez said. “I've coached in that region, and it's really a struggle to get out of that, and they're fire tested. But you know what? We are too. We've had to face some good teams lately, so it's going to be a challenge for us but, you know, we'll probably show up on Monday.”
JUCO WORLD SERIES
GAME ONE
Indian Hills 510 001 030 – 10 13 0
Crowder 030 000 000 – 3 8 5
Maddux Hoaglund, Nick Marshall (8) and Dave Janssen. James Hicks, Reece Lang (8), Jace Presley (8), Thomas Emerich (9) and Jack Stroth.
W – Hoaglund (8-2). L – Hicks
E – Stroth 2, Mercado, Chambers 2. DP – CC 1. LOB – IH 12, CC 8. 2B – Boucher 2, Ebest, Perez, Stroth, Wilkerson, HR – Van Grieken, Mercado. RBI – Boucher, Ebest 2, Janssen, Perez 2, Van Grieken 3, Mercado 3. HBP: Ebest, Rodriguez, Glasgow. SB – Butler, Castillo, Fortier 2, Wilkerson.
Umpires - HP: Skip Powe 1B: Scott Johnson 3B: Jared Farrens
Start: 12:15pm Time: 2:51 Attendance: 4824
Weather: 83 degrees, Sunny