C-M baseball grabs two conference wins

COLFAX — Colfax-Mingo senior Zarek Hill felt good about his team’s chances to win even when Lynnville-Sully went up 3-0 in the fourth inning.

Hill has seen it so many times before. And the Tigerhawks did it again on May 31 despite not collecting a hit at the plate during a South Iowa Cedar League home game against the Hawks.

Hill was the catalyst for the come-from-behind win. He didn’t get a hit but reached base twice, stole two bases and scored two runs during Colfax-Mingo’s 4-3 victory.

“I told them before the sixth inning that we’ve done this a lot the past two years,” Hill said. “I had a strong feeling that we were going to come back and win. We’ve done it so many times before.”

The Hawks controlled the game through five innings. Their first batter of the night, Blaize Kuhlmann, reached on a bunt single and then scored on an RBI single by Slater Young.

The game stayed 1-0 until the fourth inning when the Hawks tacked on two more runs.

Skyler Sanders singled and scored on an error. Kuhlmann also reached on the same error and then was plated after another Tigerhawk miscue.

Colfax-Mingo got on the board in the fourth. Hill was hit by a pitch, stole second, moved up to third on a passed ball and then scored on an RBI groundout by Trystin Ross.

“Trystin hits after me and he tells me to get on and get to third and he’ll get me in,” Hill said. “So he expects me to be on third when he hits. I don’t get a sign to steal. I just go when I think I can make it. I am pretty confident though that I am going to make it most times.”

That run came against Bray Noun Harder, who went the first 4 1/3 innings for the Hawks.

Noun Harder walked a pair of Tigerhawks in the fifth and got pulled for Conner Maston, who got out of the jam with a line out to third that resulted in a double play.

Hill started the sixth inning with a walk. He stole second again and then scored on an error.

Ross reached on that error, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on another Hawk miscue.

“Zarek Hill is a fire plug. Sometimes we don’t want him to run but he’s so stinking fast that we just let him do his thing,” Colfax-Mingo coach Brian Warrick said.

With one out, Cole Bracewell was hit by a Maston pitch.

Bracewell went to second on a passed ball, advanced to third on an error and scored on another passed ball to give the Tigerhawks a lead.

With a 4-3 lead, Hill went to the mound for his second inning and got the Hawks in order in the seventh. He struck out three batters total in his two innings.

Hill (1-1) got the win in relief for Ross, who allowed one earned run on six hits with six strikeouts, three walks and a hit by pitch in five innings.

Colfax-Mingo’s Zach Steenhoek drew three of the team’s nine walks.

Colfax-Mingo played at Sigourney on June 3 and hosted English Valleys on June 5. The Tigerhawks make up their game with Central Decatur at 7 p.m. on June 6 in Leon.

Colfax-Mingo 6,

North Mahaska 4

COLFAX — Brady Berkey struck out nine and allowed only two hits over six innings as Colfax-Mingo defeated North Mahaska, 6-4, at home on May 29.

The game was moved to Colfax because of poor field conditions at North Mahaska.

Berkey (2-1) earned the win on the mound, allowing two earned runs. He also walked five.

Hill tossed the final inning and allowed one earned run on two hits with two strikeouts and two walks.

Ross had two hits and two RBIs to lead the offense. His two-run single in the third inning capped a five-run frame for the Tigerhawks (2-2, 2-2).

Hill was 1-for-2 with a triple, two runs, a hit by pitch and an RBI. Bracewell had one hit and two RBIs.