Reiver Baseball Splits with Southeast in Home Opening Doubleheader

COUNCIL BLUFFS - NJCAA Division I #14 Iowa Western Baseball defeated Southeast Community College 12-2 in five innings of game one, then fell to the Bobcats in game two, 4-1; early-season jitters showed as 12 batters were hit between both squads across the two games.

The Bobcats (2-4) led off game one with a solo shot from Tyler Jeffus on the very first pitch of the game from Brennan Miller, then scratched across another run four batters later on an RBI triple from Jake Perrin to make it 2-0 in favor of the visitors.

Brennan would settle down after getting out of the inning.  The freshman right-handed pitcher allowed just three base runners through the next three innings, but was pulled in the 4th after a walk and a single gave Southeast runners on second and third with one out.  Easton Roth came in and shut the door with a groundout and a flyout to right field.  

Offensively, the Reivers (3-3) scored two runs in the third inning, a run in the fourth, and used a nine-run fifth inning to secure the run-rule victory.  IWCC saw every position, one through nine, score, and eight of the nine positions in the lineup recorded an RBI.  Freshman Troy Peltz went 2-4 at the plate with two runs scored and a three-run triple in the fifth.  Freshman Amarensio Franka provided the winning run with an RBI double to left field.

In game two, Iowa Western struck first after Peltz was hit by Reed McConnell, followed by Noah Kubo being hit, and a wild pitch allowed the runners to advance to second and third.  Another wild pitch from McConnell allowed Peltz to tally the opening run.

From there, the Reivers would strike out nine times and were unable to muster any offense going forward.  Southeast wasn't much better at the plate, striking out eight times, until the top of the 7th inning.  With IW clinging to a 1-0 lead, Chase Machal was hit by the opening pitch of the frame, then back-to-back singles from Jordan Monroe and Brady Webb loaded the bases for Catcher Kayden Martinez.  Martinez sent a towering shot to right field and bat-flipped his way to first for a grand slam homerun for the go-ahead lead.

IWCC would go down quietly in the bottom of the inning, and Southeast earned its second win of the season. 

Iowa Western is back in action on Saturday afternoon at Doc Ross Field for a single 9-inning game and then again on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 pm.

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