The Indianola baseball team swept Pella Christian in a Little Hawkeye Conference doubleheader Wednesday night, winning game one 18-3 in four innings and game two 9-0 heard live on 94.3 KNIA.
Game one saw the Indians score a pair of runs in the first inning to take a lead, then another three in the third inning highlighted by a bases clearing double by Gavin Legg to take an 8-0 lead. Pella Christian battled back with three runs in the top of the fourth inning to get back into the game, but Indianola then scored ten runs in the fourth punctuated by a Bennett Brueck three-run shot to left field and ended the game early.

Game two saw Pella Christian flash the gloves defensively, throwing out several runners trying to stretch singles into doubles and make several diving plays, but the offense couldn’t keep up with the Indians bats. Indianola scored three in the first, another in each of the second, third, and fifth innings, then three in the sixth for insurance. Hayden Hoffman had the dominating start on the mound to pick up the win, going six innings and striking out nine. Indianola head coach Jon Fitzpatrick tells KNIA Sports he feels the strong early season schedule paid dividends for the Indians in the wins.

“We got rained out of three games, but we were able to get ten games in before conference. So a lot of our guys had 30-40 at bats before conference play started, and that’s huge. They are able to come out and be comfortable, we are well into the season, a quarter of the way into the season before conference starts, and it definitely helped out tonight.”

Indianola’s Brady Blake went 2-2 at the plate with two RBI doubles, while PC’s Corbin Westerkamp also had a pair of singles. Indianola improves to 9-3 and travel to Urbandale tonight, while Pella Christian falls to 3-3 and they host Grinnell tomorrow.