Council Bluffs, Iowa

The Home Iowa Western Reivers welcomed the Kirkwood Eagles to town for a four-game set at Doc Ross Field.

Game 1 was a pitching duel. Sophomore Peyton Zabel threw five innings, struck out five, and spread out two hits. He escaped a big jam in the fourth inning. After a leadoff walk and a triple for Kirkwood, Zabel stranded the runner at third with a strikeout and two groundouts to hold the game at 1-1. In the bottom of the sixth, the Reivers jumped back into the lead. Thatcher Kozal reached on a hit by pitch, then stole second base. After a Chase Spoonemore single, Noah Hull drove in a run to make it 2-1. Iowa Western then handed the ball to Noah Manning to slam the door and earn his second save of the year. The Reivers win 2-1.

Game 2, the Reivers started with a Bang! Centerfielder Kyle Huckstorf hit his second home run of the yea, his first leadoff home run of his Iowa Western Career. Starting Pitcher Harrison Cook put together another good start for IW. He went five and one-third innings pitched with eleven strikeouts. The Reivers made the lead 2-1 with a two-out single by Jacob Shamban scoring Noah Hull. Then added to the lead in the fifth with a sac fly by Dylan Robertson. Kirkwood battled back to make it a 3-3 game in the seventh, but in the bottom of the 7th, the home Reivers responded with 2 runs as Huckstorf and Carter Wright drove in runs to make it 5-3. Grant Hubka got the save going one and one-third striking out two.

On Sunday, The Reivers starting pitching set the tone. Evan O'Toole threw a complete game and allowed 1 run on five hits and struck out eight. Offensively, Iowa western scored two in the first inning. Wright singled in a run and Hull hit a sacrifice fly to give IW a 2-1 lead after the first. That was all O'Toole needed the next six innings. The Reivers added on in the fourth with an RBI double by Ben Palmer to make it 3-1, in the fifth Chase Spoonemore scored on a wild pitch. In the sixth, Drew Jennings ran for Alec Patino after Patino singled, Jennings reached second then stole third to set up another Wright RBI and make it 5-1 which was also the final score.

In-game four, the offense again jumped out early for three runs in the first. Auggie Rasmussen singled in Huckstorf to get the Reivers on the board, then catcher Logan Jordan drove in two with a double into the right-center gap to make it 3-0. Connor Mackay was the game four starter for Iowa Western, Mackay went five innings gave up one run on four hits and eight strikeouts. The offense made sure the bullpen would be saved in this game. Jordan scored on a wild pitch in the third and Trenton Harris singled to score Clay Cutter to make it 5-0. In the fourth, the home nine added two more with Wright scoring on an error by the catcher and Jordan scoring on a single by Treyton Kozal. In the fifth, the Reivers scored three runs via singles by Rasmussen, Patino, and Kozal to make it 11-1 and end the game.

The Reivers are back on the field this week with games at Southwestern on 4/1 and then on the road for the weekend at Southeastern CC.

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