WATERLOO – In the first round it was the pitching and defense for the NIACC baseball team.
On Saturday, it was the offense that carried the Trojans to a 14-6, seven-inning victory over Southwestern in the second round of the Region XI tournament at Riverfront Stadium.
“Our offense really picked us up,” said NIACC coach Travis Hergert, whose team nipped Kirkwood 2-1 in the opening round on Friday. “They were due.
“You have to give yourself a chance to win. We kept going up there swinging the bats.”
NIACC (24-15) pounded out 11 hits to score its 14 runs. The Trojans scored six runs in the seventh inning to end the game by the 8-run rule.
Sophomore Hunter King (Mason City, Ia.) was 1 for 3 with 5 RBIs and scored 2 runs to lead the NIACC offense. King drove in three runs with a double in the first inning.
NIACC also received two hits from Robert Swenson, Drew Verstegen and Max Waletich and two RBIs from Alex Stuart and three RBIs from Tanner Unkel.
King leads the team with 30 RBIs and 13 doubles.
“Five RBIs – that’s what Hunter has been doing all year,” Hergert said. “His batting average (.282) may not speak for it but he leads our team in doubles and RBIs. Any time we’re in a crucial situation I just feel like Hunter is going to come through.”
NIACC took four out of five games from Southwestern this season outscoring the Spartans 49-15 in the five games.
NIACC plays either Iowa Central or Southeastern in the winner’s bracket final at 4 p.m. Sunday. Southwestern plays Ellsworth at 1 p.m. Sunday.
“We’re 2-0 and in a really good place right now,” King said. “We just need to come (Sunday) and play our game. If we do that, we should do pretty well.”
In Saturday’s game, freshman right-hander Nick Veale (6-1) gained the win in relief for the Trojans. He relieved starter Joey Reed in the fifth inning as Reed with left with a sore back.
Veale allowed 3 runs in 1 1/3 innings, but the Trojans scored two runs in the fifth inning, two in the sixth inning and six runs in the seventh inning.
Sophomore Jeremy Cronk pitched the seventh inning to gain the save.
“It wasn’t pretty,” Hergert said. “But what we preach is ‘give us a chance to win, stay away from the big inning and give us a chance to win.’’’
NIACC 14, Southwestern 6 (7)
Southwestern 101 013 0 – 6 9 0
NIACC 301 022 6 – 14 11 2
Alex Lawson (1K, 5BB), Corey Williams (5) (0K, 3BB), Chris McVey (7) (1K, 2BB) and Omar Hotusing. Joey Reed (1K, 1BB), Nick Veale (5) (1K, 1BB), Jeremy Cronk (7) (1K, 0BB) and Robert Swenson. W – Veale (6-1); L – Williams (0-5); S – Cronk (5). 2B – Alessio Pena (SW), Seth Lieser (SW), Alex Stuart (N), Hunter King (N). Multiple hits – Lieser 3, Hotusing 2, Michael Cendrowski (SW) 2, Swenson 2, Drew Verstegen (N) 2, Max Waletich (N) 2. Multiple RBIs – Lieser 2, Dillon Coates (SW) 3, Stuart 2, King 5, Tanner Unkel (N) 3.
